CHICAGO — Life could get even uglier for the Yankees if these two questions aren’t answered.
Will the Yankees have the dough to sign Robinson Cano?
What if Cano decides the Yankees don’t have enough hitters in the lineup to keep him around? The All-Star second baseman is keeping his options open.
Cano was poised to be the hero Wednesday night in a game the Yankees just had to win, hitting a long home run into the right-field bleachers in the 12th inning to put the Bombers ahead, but the White Sox scored twice in the bottom of the inning to steal a 6-5 victory. Cano had gone 81 at-bats without a home run. This was only his second home run in the last 30 games.
Cano has been the lone power bat in the Yankees’ injury-wracked lineup and that has been a burden.
The Yankees have no huge bats on the horizon and are talking about reaching the self-imposed goal of a $189 million cap in 2014.
Just imagine if the free-spending Dodgers swoop in to sign Cano, where he could be the double-play partner with his WBC buddy Hanley Ramirez. When Cano turns around at second he would see a young star in Yasiel Puig in right field, not the aging singles’ hitter Ichiro Suzuki or Vernon Wells.
These are the toughest of times for the Yankees, who have lost 14 of 20. They need Cano more than ever and Cano has much to ponder.
“Believe me,’’ one Yankee told me, “Robbie is keeping all his options open.’’
It was interesting that on the first stop of this three-city trip, in Los Angeles, Jay Z and his Roc Nation Sports entourage made sure to sit in the front row behind home plate. Cano was signed by the Yankees in 2001. It was unthinkable just a little while ago that he ever would sign with any other team, but anything is possible when a player makes it to free agency and his team is struggling.
Cano, who will turn 31 in October, will have to do what is best for his career. He is not talking about his future, but you can be sure he is looking closely at this season.
The first-place Dodgers are going all-out to build a winner and though Cano has spent his major league career in pinstripes, he is named after legendary Dodger Jackie Robinson. This could become a fit, not only in a baseball sense, but a legacy sense as well.
Cano leads the Yankees with 22 home runs and 71 RBIs, but over the past 30 games he has managed just those two home runs and 17 RBIs. The lifetime .307-hitter is batting .287. He has not finished hitting under .300 since 2008.
For the Yankees, there is one less team to worry about in the Cano Sweepstakes. The Phillies have agreed to terms on an extension with their second baseman Chase Utley that will keep him in Philadelphia through at least the 2015 season.
Before the game, manager Joe Girardi was asked about Cano’s recent lack of power.
“At times I’ve seen him come out of his base a little bit, where he gets out front a little bit, and that’s part of it,’’ Girardi said. “I can’t really tell you. It wasn’t something that I expected but you know we’ve missed some of his home run power and we missed home run power from a lot of guys that we got early in the year that we haven’t been getting lately.’’
Cano stayed on his base Wednesday night in that 12th inning at-bat off right-hander Dylan Axelrod. He stayed on the fastball and crushed it far over the wall. But it wasn’t enough for these Yankees.
After an off-day today the mediocre 57-56 Yankees play host to the slugging Tigers for three games. The Tigers are third in slugging percentage with a .436 mark; the Yankees are 29th with a .365 mark.
Yes, it has been the ugliest of seasons, but If Cano does decide to walk away from the Yankees as a free agent, it will be even uglier next season.