Yankee Notes: Contract offered to Kuroda, Yanks not talking with Cano, and more

Kuroda has an offer from the Yankees: The Yankees have offered a contract to free-agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, reports Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com. The Yankees are hoping that Kuroda will accept the deal, rather than retire or go back to Japan.

The deal on the table is expected to be in the $15-$16 million range over the course of the 2014 season. That price would be around what Kuroda earned last season in the Bronx. Kuroda became a free-agent after turning down a $14.1 million qualifying offer from the Yankees.

Kuroda went 11-13 with a 3.31 ERA last season and was that Yankees' best pitcher through mid-August before the fatigue of a long season caught up to him. His ERA in his final handful of starts was awful, and he was pitching nothing like he had in the first four months of the season.

The Yankees are hoping the Kuroda will come back to help fill a spot in the rotation that is currently headlined by a declining CC Sabathia and shaky Ivan Nova. The Yankees are also banking on Masahiro Tanaka being posted by his Japanese team once a new posting system is agreed to. Michael Pineda, David Phelps, Adam Warren and Vidal Nuno will battle for the fifth spot in the rotation during Spring Training.

Yankees have "nothing to talk about" with Cano: After closing the contract gap to about $80 million last week, the Yankees were expected to meet with representatives for Robinson Cano once again on Monday, but the two sides decided not to meet, Marchand says, because the gap is still too big.

As one source told ESPNNewYork.com, "There is nothing to discuss." That tone sounds a lot like what team president Randy Levine said during the GM meetings a couple weeks back: "Until he gets more realistic, we have nothing to talk about."

Cano's side was reportedly asking for a 10-year, $310 million deal, though Cano has denied ever asking for that amount of money. During meets last week, Cano's side was said to have lowered their asking price to a nine-year deal for $250-$260 million. The Yankees have raised their offer in terms of money, but only a little bit, to $170 over seven-years.

Canzler has been signed by the Yanks again: The Yankees have signed free-agent outfielder/first baseman Russ Canzler to a contract, says Matt Eddy of Baseball America.The terms of the deal are unknown.

Canzler has been a lefty-killer since 2011, hitting .307/.390/.531 (433 PA) with 17 HR, a 12 percent walk rate, and a 18 percent strikeout rate.

He was with the Yankees earlier this year, from February 4th to the 5th before being claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles the week before spring training.

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