MLB

Cano and Granderson are Yankees’ building blocks for future

This is about where the Yankees started the season and where they will end it – and, really, where they are going.

On Opening Day this year, coincidentally also against the Tigers, Robinson Cano hit fifth and Curtis Granderson eighth.

Last night, for a do-or-die Division Series Game 5 against Detroit, Granderson hit second and Cano third. It was a reflective of their 2011 journey to the no-questions best hitters on this team. It also raises the question if the Yanks can build future lineups around the duo.

“Absolutely, why not?” hitting coach Kevin Long said. “They have given us as good a two hitters as any team had this year. And right now they are in their best years.”

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The issue has resonance because during the offseason the Yanks will have to imagine what their 2012 lineup looks like. Can they still trust Alex Rodriguez to be a major weight lifter? Is Jesus Montero ready to cash in on all of those Miguel Cabrera/Manny Ramirez comparisons? Is Mark Teixeira’s falling batting average a sign of irreversible decline? Do the Yanks need to find a big bat on the market?

And there also is this: Granderson and Cano are both under control contractually through the 2013 seasons. The Yanks generally do not do long-term contracts before a player’s current deal expires. But should they re-think that and try to get more economical deals? Or do they let Granderson and Cano keep proving that they are these kind of performers and then just reach into their thick wallet if they must two years from now?

My suspicion is that the Yanks will wait. They will see if Montero becomes a force while biding time until after the 2012 season when a few impact outfielders could become free agents, such as the Dodgers’ Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier.

“I don’t look to build around one individual,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “I think about what the lineup will look like all together. My job is to attack what is weak, not worry about what is strong. And they (Granderson and Cano) are strong.”

Both are in their prime; Cano turns 29 this month and Granderson does not turn 31 until next spring training. But if the Yanks are thinking long term about them both would be signed well into their 30s – and you would expect it would have to be on contracts that average more than $20 million a year.

The Yanks already have saved themselves a ton of money with Cano. Again, they usually do not do long-term deals before they must. But after the 2007 season, the Yanks did a four-year deal with Cano with two option years that cover 2012 and 2013. If they hadn’t, Cano would be a free agent this offseason coming off of a Home Run Derby title and two seasons that have elevated him to the best second baseman in the sport.

And Cano last offseason took on Scott Boras as an agent; and a player does not hire Boras unless they are looking to maximize their earnings.

Between now and the end of the 2013 season, the Yanks have several big contracts expiring, including those for Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, A.J. Burnett, Nick Swisher, Rafael Soriano and perhaps even CC Sabathia if he opts out this winter. At this moment, the only players certainly signed for the 2014 season are A-Rod and Teixeira. For now the Yanks have Cano and Granderson signed for the relative bargain price of $24 million combined in 2012 and $29 million when both are on option years in 2013.

From their dynasty years with Jeter, Posada and Bernie Williams, the Yanks know what an extreme asset it is to have big offensive producers up the middle when so few teams enjoy that. Granderson and Cano certainly provided that boost this year as both almost certainly will finish in the AL MVP top 10; maybe even top five.

They also bring lefty power another must for the Yankees considering the configuration of their home stadium. Granderson’s evolution to become a force against lefties – he led the majors with 16 homers off southpaws – led to him being installed full time into the No. 2 slot in early May. Despite mounting evidence about who was his best hitter, Girardi waited until the postseason to install Cano permanently in the third slot.

Now it seems obvious this is how the Yanks will begin next year – Granderson second and Cano third. How long into the future will that last?