Not that Hal Steinbrenner needed more proof of how valuable Robinson Cano is to the Yankees as the second baseman approaches free agency, but the owner got another first-hand reminder of what it’s going to cost him to keep Cano in The Bronx.
Cano’s two-homer afternoon led the Yankees to a 7-2 win Saturday over the hapless Blue Jays at The Stadium, where they have beaten Toronto nine straight times.
When asked if he tried to put on a show in front of Steinbrenner, Cano said: “No, we just go out there to win games.”
In a year in which the Yankees have received unexpected — and even stunning — output from newcomers and retreads alike, Cano has been one of the few steady presences.
“I’m glad that’s not a moving part,” manager Joe Girardi said of Cano, who has 12 homers this year.
Cano was fooled on the first one and still managed to yank the Brandon Morrow pitch over the right-field wall in the third to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead.
Two innings later, he fouled off a pair of sliders before Morrow left one up and Cano crushed it to right-center for another two-run shot.
Another left-handed power hitter, Lyle Overbay, said the second one was the most impressive to him.
“Just because of the at-bat,” Overbay said. “He swung at a couple of pitches down. They were being real careful with him, but he battled got himself a mistake. That’s one of the things, he doesn’t miss mistakes very often. … I’m fouling three, four an at-bat. He gets one and he hits it 600 feet, with two strikes.”
Not surprisingly, Cano has caught Overbay’s attention more than once since the first baseman joined the Yankees in spring training.
“I’m impressed,” Overbay said. “I’m a believer now. He’s fun to watch because he’s way beyond a lot of us.”
Cano’s blasts helped make a winner out of David Phelps (2-2), who gave up just one run in seven innings. It was the longest outing of his career.
David Robertson, who hadn’t allowed a hit in his previous six appearances, surrendered a solo homer to Edwin Encarnacion in the eighth, but Travis Hafner hit his seventh of the year in the bottom of the inning to give the Yankees a five-run lead that Boone Logan protected in the ninth.
While Phelps has the good fortune of not having to face Cano, he knows how dangerous his teammate is.
“There’s not a pitch he can’t hit hard,” Phelps said.
Girardi said he knows there’s a limit to how much he can rely on newcomers and retreads while the majority of the lineup’s stars recuperate in Tampa, and Cano hasn’t disappointed.
“He’s not someone you can replace,” Girardi said. “He’s the kind of guy who, anyplace you put him, he’s going to be successful.”
That includes the two-hole, where Cano hit again yesterday.
“He’s done a nice job adjusting to that,” Girardi said. “It doesn’t really matter where he hits, he’s going to get his numbers.”
Both on and off the field.
Cano and the Yankees believe a new contract is possible before he hits free agency, though Steinbrenner declined to go into details of the negotiation before yesterday’s game.
“It’s not something we’re going to be talking about every day, but I think everyone knows what we feel about him,” Steinbrenner said.
But it doesn’t take an agent or a team owner to know which direction things are heading in.
“The price keeps going up,” Overbay said with a laugh. “They should have signed him in spring training.”
dan.martin@nypost.com