The names drip out this time of year, and only later will we appreciate whether any of them carried meaning beyond carrying our conversations until the Hot Stove season picks up.
The Post reported on Sunday the Yankees, covering their bases in case they can’t re-sign Robinson Cano, reached out to free agent second baseman Omar Infante. On Tuesday, CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman reported the Yankees reached out to Cincinnati to discuss second baseman Brandon Phillips, who is under contract through 2017.
Two fine backup plans. And two perfect examples of how much the Yankees would miss Cano, who began life as a full free agent on Tuesday, if they actually can’t come to an agreement with him.
There’s a reason Cano is looking for so much money. He’s dramatically better than Plans B, C or D.
Heyman noted the Reds’ asking price was high, as well it should be, and the truth is the Yankees aren’t in position to make a high-caliber trade at this juncture. Their farm system experienced a largely brutal 2013 campaign, and the Yankees don’t have many trading chips of which can they boast — especially when they’re looking for low-salary players to help them keep their 2014 payroll under $189 million.
As a two-way player with a career OPS of .749, Phillips, 32, doesn’t represent a gross overpay with salaries of $11 million, $12 million, $13 million and $14 million through the next four seasons. He drew some negative publicity this past season for a couple of public-relation snafus, first when he ripped the team’s management to a Cincinnati magazine and then when he engaged in a dispute (that was videotaped) with a reporter who had tweeted about his low on-base percentage. While his defenders say those incidents were out of character, let’s face it: Both of those would have been five-alarm fires in New York.
Infante, who turns 32 next month, is looking to make between $10 million and $12 million per season on this contract, according to an industry source. He, too, provides value on both sides of the ball.
Neither player is a superstar, though, and that’s the Yankees’ problem: They need more talent, not less of it. And going from Cano to either of these players, or anyone else who might be available, would represent a serious downgrade.
Losing out on Cano obviously would give the Yankees payroll flexibility. That wouldn’t be a great trade-off. The Yankees badly need flexibility for next season. From 2015 onward, they’ve made it pretty clear they’ll be ready to do some serious shopping again. They’re better off taking their chances with Cano weighing down the ’14 payroll, seeing if they can somehow put together a serious contender, than trying to construct a strong team without Cano for the next eight years.
As The Post’s Dan Martin reports, the consensus in the baseball industry is the Yankees and Cano eventually will reconnect and hammer out a deal. If there’s a team out there willing to give Cano something closer to the $310 million he requested during the season, then it has not yet declared itself to the world. And Cano, while not wanting to grant any hometown discount, has made it clear he sees the value in being a lifetime Yankee.
The Yankees have to make these inquiries. They have to create leverage, however minimal, in their talks with Cano, and they must plan for the slight possibility Cano actually departs the Bronx.
When the names emerge, the ugly truth accompanies them: There isn’t much leverage with these alternates. And the possibility of a life without Cano is pretty depressing for the Yankees.