Robinson Cano (Getty Images)
Think about the furor caused by Jeremy Lin leaving New York after 25 games.
Now imagine what this town will sound like if David Wright or Robinson Cano departs as a free agent following next season. We are talking about homegrown stars, in their primes, who are the best players on their teams.
My instinct is both will be re-signed. In fact, I was surprised how confident Mets officials sounded that they would find common ground this offseason and retain Wright long term.
Wright’s return to elite status this year means the Mets have to expect to pay well north of the six-year, $100 million extension Washington gave to Ryan Zimmerman in February, when the third baseman still had two years at $26 million remaining on his previous deal. Wright is due $16 million next year, and the Mets do not want all the tension that would come from Wright playing in his walk year, since their intention is to retain him anyway.
The Mets’ confidence probably has something to do with feeling a bit more financially secure post-Madoff. Also, after letting Jose Reyes go, there is pressure to commit long-term to a homegrown, beloved face of the franchise. In addition, the Mets think they have a strong relationship with Wright’s representatives at ACES, which has a reputation for getting strong deals, but also for not dragging matters out when they feel their clients want a certain location and a beneficial contract can be completed — and Wright has never hidden his desire to be a career-long Met.
Cano is represented by Scott Boras, who tends to move his clients into free agency. In addition, Cano fired his previous representation to hire Boras and, historically, that means the player is maneuvering to go to the highest bidder. In the past, that was no big deal for the Yankees.
But local cable TV money, in particular, has created more financially powerful teams willing to spend big, especially for elite players. Plus, the Yankees have committed to getting under the $189 million luxury tax threshold in 2014, which has turned them more financially conservative.
“I had a meeting with Hal [Steinbrenner] and Randy [Levine, Yankees president] at the owners meetings [in May], and I certainly did not get any indication from them that there will be any dramatic changes in how the Yankees do business,” Boras said by phone.
And Boras did not sound like he would have much sympathy for the Yankees trying to go frugal. He cited Yankees “revenues triple most major league teams.” But, mainly, he invoked the “George Steinbrenner legacy” of building the brand, a TV network and revenues by enlisting and keeping stars — no matter the cost.
“If that continues, the Yankees will still be viewed as a destination for players that is highly coveted,” Boras said.
The not-too-subtle implication is that Boras is going to try to make Hal uneasy about undoing what his father constructed.
Brian Cashman has said he would like to break the Yankees’ practice of waiting until free agency to negotiate contracts and would prefer to attempt to extend both Cano and Curtis Granderson (like Cano, also a free agent after 2013) this offseason.
“Why not hear what they have to say,” Cano said of that approach. “I am always open to hearing anything. If it works for both sides, that is great. But I have to hear an offer.”
Ah, yes, the offer. Maybe there is lesson for the Yankees from Philadelphia’s dealings with Cole Hamels. The Phillies low-balled the lefty last the offseason. Then, with free agency moving so close in July, they essentially had to treat Hamels as if he were already free, giving him a six-year, $144 million contract. That was probably $30 million more than if they had done it in the offseason.
Can the Yankees save something by acting this offseason? Boras ominously said, “I think [Phillies GM] Ruben Amaro said it best: For elite players, you have to pay elite prices to buy them out of free agency.” Boras meant at any time, even a year early.
It should be kept in mind that Cano does love being a Yankee, has roots in the area, especially with charities, and probably is served best immediately and historically by playing in Yankee Stadium as part of a powerhouse lineup.
However, according to a friend, Cano has felt underpaid on the current six-year, $57 million pact he signed under previous representation and wants to make a score this time — hence the presence of Boras.
So Cano definitely is going to blow away the current second base record total package of $85 million (Chase Utley) and annual average value of $15 million (Ian Kinsler). But by how much?
The Yankees cannot just go incrementally over those numbers and expect Cano to sign early rather than test free agency. I suspect seven years at $154 million ($22 million a year) or eight at $160 million ($20 million) is the minimum ante in this game.
Of course, Boras will shoot higher. He would not tell me how much, but he did say this: “When you go to sign great players and you know you are going to get six or years more of greatness, you have to spend by paying more years. You may pay over 10 years for the privilege of having the great seven. That is how it goes with big franchises and acquisitions. And the Yankees under George were one of the first teams to do that.”
joel.sherman@nypost.com