The Yankees wanted Robinson Cano back in The Bronx. Team president Randy Levine feels they made that clear, so he is not second-guessing the Yankees’ top offer — bested by the Seattle Mariners by three years and $65 million, with a 10-year, $240 million deal – and said he was not surprised the second baseman chose to leave the only team he’s ever known.
“If $175 million isn’t trying hard, I don’t know what is,” Levine said Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, following a press conference for the Pinstripe Bowl. “We think he’s a great player. That’s a lot of money. It’s a really rich package. He did a lot better. We wish him the best.
“I think Robinson Cano was a great Yankee. We did everything we could to try and bring him back. We offered him $175 million over seven years. It would’ve made him, except for Alex Rodriguez, the highest-paid Yankee on an average annual value. Except for Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, it would’ve been the highest total value in contract there was.”
Even in the Yankees’ efforts to keep the payroll under the luxury-tax threshold of $189 million, Levine said Cano was budgeted in to return, but the team could not repeat the mistake of offering another 10-year contract. Levine alluded to how poorly Rodriguez’s $275 million deal – signed before the 2008 season – has worked out, as well as Albert Pujols’ deal with the Angels.
“I think Hal [Steinbrenner] made it clear, we’re not doing 10-year deals,” Levine said. “We’ve found in our experience they just don’t work. I think the industry has found they don’t work. They may work for Robinson Cano. He’s a great player. But for us, we’ve found that they didn’t work.”
With Cano off the books, the Yankees agreed to deals with outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran, along with catcher Brian McCann and pitcher Hiroki Kuroda.
Though the Yankees outfield is now extremely crowded, with Ellsbury and Beltran joining Alfonso Soriano, Ichiro Suzuki, Brett Gardner and Vernon Wells, Levine claims the team is not looking to unload Gardner, viewed as the most valuable asset among the expendables.
“I think that’s media speculating,” Levine said. “As far as I understand, we listen on everybody. We are not shopping Gardner around.”
Levine also stated the Yankees still plan on staying under the $189 million threshold and the team is budgeting in Rodriguez’s $27.5 million salary, which would not be paid if the third baseman is suspended for the season.
“There is no uncertainty,” Levine said. “Alex Rodriguez is on our payroll, he’s in our budget and he’ll continue to be in our budget unless something changes.”