YBB American League preview: Seattle Mariners

By: Gavin Ewbank | Lead Writer

You probably started to really hate the Seattle Mariners over the offseason, and for good reason. Back in December, they went where no other team would.

The Mariners, in a state of desperation, gave a Robinson Cano a 10-year, $240 million contract.

The Yankees were only willing to offer a Cano worth seven-years, $175 million-ish. They were smart in not giving Cano the type of money that he ended up getting for, but while the money will be a total loss for the M's, his presence in the lineup will be a massive gain.

The only real start on this team before Cano's arrival was Felix Hernandez. For years, Seattle had been without a true star in their lineup, because there was nothing that could convince players of coming there.

They found that with Cano and the large sum of cash they offered him.

Realistically, Cano does not make the Mariners a much better team because you still need to put other pieces around him, and that didn't happen.

Seattle added a couple of bats besides Cano in Corey Hart and Logan Morrison. Hart is more of a gamble because he is still working back from knee surgery, but if he can stay healthy and round back into form, he can actually be a decent piece in the Mariners' lineup.

Other than that, there isn't much to drool over in Seattle. Cano made some comments to the media a couple of weeks ago that he wanted the Mariners to add another bat to help him out, they didn't, and they're going to regret it.

Offense was a major concern for the Mariners last season, as they only hit .237, the worst average in the American League. Their 624 runs scored ranked them 12th in the AL. I really don;t see those numbers improving very much this season, even with Cano in the lineup.

On the other side of the ball, the Mariners could not pitch last season. With an ERA of 4.31, they were one of three teams to give up more than 700 runs (703).

The Mariners didn't add an starting pitchers over the offseason because they thought that they would be set with a starting rotation of King Felix, Hisashi Iwakuma and Taijuan Walker, but injuries to both Iwakuma and Walker that could keep them out until early in the season will be a big blow to their pitching staff.

Yes, the Mariners added Robinson, the best second baseman in the league. But no, the Mariners will not be a better team than the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels in 2014. Those teams are far more complete than Seattle.

The early focus will be on you-know-who, when once things start to play out, we'll all be looking at the AL West standings and see who the Seattle Marines really are.

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Spring Training notebook: Day 4

TAMPA, Fla. -- Robinson Cano is still making headlines in the New York newspapers, yet he signed with the Seattle Mariners a couple months ago. His manager fired back at comments about him in Sunday's NY Daily News; Brendan Ryan thinks Yankees fans will hate him; and Masahiro Tanaka threw another bullpen.

All of that, plus some more, in today's edition of the Yankees Spring Training notebook.

Pitching to his value: Tanaka threw another bullpen Tuesday morning, and once again, he was getting some praise for the way he threw.

“Really impressive. Really impressive,” catcher John Ryan Murphy said. “His fastball command was really good today. Cervy told me it was the other day (as well). Masahiro told me it was probably the best of the three bullpens he had thrown.

"The fastball command for me was really good inside and outside. I think his ability to forget a poor pitch and repeat a better pitch the next pitch was really impressive also. If he threw one poor pitch, he was back (to throwing a good pitch) the next one. I think he threw four or five pitches up in the zone, that was it. He commanded all of his pitches. He’s got a short memory on the bad pitches, and I think overall it was very, very good.”

As for the legendary split-finger that we've all been hearing about, Murphy had some good words about that, too.

“He only threw maybe five or six, but he threw a few that were really good and sharp and hard and downward breaking,” Murphy said. “And then he threw a couple for strikes. He did it all today, honestly.”

As for his arm strength...

“What surprised me was the effort level looked minimal and it was coming out really good,” Murphy said. “Velocity-wise, I have no idea.”

He thinks you guys hate him: Brendan Ryan is going to spend a decent amount of time subbing for Derek Jeter at shortstop this season, and he believes that Yankees fans won't be too fond of that.

But that doesn't matter, because Ryan plans to "embrace the boos," he said Tuesday.

"I'm going to get booed regardless," Ryan said. "I've been booed before. Who cares? If I'm getting high-fives from my teammates, I'm doing something right and that's what matters. Hopefully the fans will come around after that."

Jeter, who announced his retirement on Facebook last week. is coming off a season in which he played just 17 games because of various injuries, including multiple re-injurings of his surgically repaired right ankle.

The Yankees acquired Ryan from the Mariners in September, and though he can't hit, he is good enough in the field that the Yanks re-signed him on a two-year contract this offseason.

Now leading off, in center field: Jacoby Ellsbury showed up to Yankees camp today. He said that he is completely healed from the foot injury that caused him problems late last season and into the playoffs.

“It feels good,” Ellsbury said. “I went into the offseason workouts and once I stepped into that weight room it was 100 percent ready to go. Strength and everything is where it needs to be. … I’ll talk to those guys about it, but as far as me being ready to go, I’m ready to go.”

And to the surprise of nobody, Ellsbury said that Joe Girardi has told him that he'll be leading off and playing center field for the Yankees this season.

Back off my boy: Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon had something to say about Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long's comments on the Daily News Sunday that Cano didn't always hustle down the line, bothering Long during Cano's nine-year tenure in the Bronx.

"Last time I checked, I didn't know that Kevin Long was the spokesman for the New York Yankees," McClendon told ESPN.com. "That was a little surprising. I was a little pissed off, and I'm sure Joe [Girardi] feels the same way. He's concerned with his team and what they're doing, not what the Seattle Mariners players are doing.

"I'm a little surprised that Kevin Long is the spokesman for the New York Yankees. I wonder if he had any problems with Robbie when he wrote that book ["Cage Rat"] proclaiming himself as the guru of hitting."

Long responded to that on Tuesday, saying he wasn't trying to go after Cano in any way, and that "if you look at all the good things that were written about Robinson you would understand there was no malicious meaning behind any of it."

Green with envy, not money: When Yu Darvish came over from Japan to sign with the Texas Rangers two years ago, the posting system that was in place at the time was only able to get him a six-year, $56 million guaranteed deal.

What does he think about the new posting system now that the Yankees were able to give Tanaka a seven-year, $155 million contract this winter?

"I don't know the details of the posting system, but I think the Yankees gave him a little bit too much," said Darvish, chuckling along with his interpreter.

After everyone on Twitter made a big deal over his comments, Darvish tweeted that he was only joking, and the Rangers' PR staff sent out a statement saying, too, that he was only joking. Hmmm...

Parting shot: This comes from Girardi, who was think about the big picture when talking about his club today.....

“I'm encouraged what I've seen in camp so far. It’s a camp that, our staff does a very good job of making sure they see everyone in all the different situations, and that’s why you see BPs spread out throughout the whole day so Larry has a close eye on everyone. But I’m encouraged by what we've got so far.

"Tex hitting the third day in a row, he feels good, and the position players all get here tomorrow, and we’ll get on the field whatever day that is, Thursday.”

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Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog, and you can follow him on Twitter (below).

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Spring Training notebook: Day 3

TAMPA, Fla. -- Another day, another workout, another notebook full of news. Pitchers, catchers and a handful of position players were back on the field in Tampa Monday morning for the third day of workouts this spring. Brian Roberts made some noise, Joe Girardi said that Kelly Johnson will be the super-utility player, and people still care about Robinson Cano.

Roberts: "I'm not going to go in and be Robbie:" Roberts said he got a call from the Yankees during the offseason, before Robinson Cano signed his 10-year mega-deal with the Seattle Mariners.

Roberts didn't take any meaning to it because he thought the Yankees would end up re-signing Cano.

Well, they didn't, and now Roberts, at 36-years-old, is being tasked with replacing Cano. Not exactly, though.

"Robbie is such a special player, I'm not going to go in and be Robbie," Roberts said Monday. "Nobody will be. Our goal is to put nine guys on the field to win a game. My goal is to try and help us do that. I'm sure there are going to be people who are going to want to look out there and say, 'He is not Robbie.' I'm not going to be Robbie and I'm not going to try to be. I'm going to be Brian Roberts and hopefully that is good enough."

Girardi declared after the day's workout that Roberts is going to be the everyday second baseman during the season, with Kelly Johnson as his backup. Johnson, by the way, is expected to spend most of his time at third base, while also being on hand as Mark Teixeira's backup at first base.

And though Girardi didn't mention this, Johnson is also going to be my backup when I can't cover games during the season.

Roberts hasn't played more than 77 games in the last four years, all with the Baltimore Orioles, because of various injuries, and the Yankees need him to be out there everyday. Good luck with that.

"It's been a while," Roberts said.

In 2013, Roberts started off well in the Orioles' first two games of the season, going 4-for-8 at the plate, before popping his hamstring tendon in game No. 3, trying to steal a base.

"That was really frustrating for me," Roberts said. "I thought I was in a place where I thought I was going to bounce back and be myself again."

Pineda gets some high praise: Michael Pineda threw a 35-pitch bullpen session Monday morning, and it left many, including Girardi and Pineda, feeling confident in what he can be this year.

“I’m feeling good. Really good," Pineda said. "I’m throwing the same. Mechanics the same. Everything is the same. All pitches are the same. I’m the same Michael Pineda.”

Though he wasn't throwing in front of a radar gun, Girardi said the Pineda was hitting 93 and 94 mph last year in the minors. So we can guess he's in the same range, and possibly better.

"I thought the ball was coming out easier," Girardi said. "I know he’s had time to clean up a couple things too, mechanically, in this two-year span. He just looked like it came out free and easy to me; didn’t look like he put a ton of effort into it, or that he was overthrowing it."

The Yankees are really hoping that Pineda can stay healthy enough through the spring to win the fifth starter job, because this kid has yet to throw a pitch in the big leagues for the Bombers since coming over two years ago.

If he can return to form as anything close to what he was when with the Mariners in 2011, Pineda could be one of the best fifth starters in the game.

Beltran arrives at spring training: Carlos Beltran checked in at the Yankees spring training complex, and after working out, he told reports that he's excited for the upcoming season, his first in pinstripes.

“I feel great, man," Beltran said. "Since we were able to agree on signing the three-year deal, I’m looking forward to the team. I think we have a real good team. We have a lineup that -- hopefully everyone is healthy, that’s the main thing. I believe the lineup we have is a pretty good lineup. On paper, it looks pretty good. We have to get to know each other and find a way to play the game the right way.”

Beltran also said that he is really looking forward to being a part of Derek Jeter's final season.

"Being able to play with a guy that’s a Hall of Famer – a first-ballot Hall of Famer – is a great feeling," he said. "I’m just looking forward to playing with him and hopefully helping this team win a championship. I know he has a lot of championships, but I don’t have [any]. Hopefully I can win one.”

The Yankees asked Cano to hustle more: Not running hard to first base was one of the few negative things associated with Cano when he left the Yankees for Seattle this winter.

Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long was one of the people speaking out against the second baseman's lack of effort.

"If somebody told me I was a dog, I'd have to fix that. When you choose not to, you leave yourself open to taking heat, and that's your fault. For whatever reason, Robbie chose not to," Long told the New York Daily News on Sunday.

Up next:  Sam old, same old Tuesday morning. Workouts for the spring will continue. And looking a couple days down the road, position players officially report Wednesday, with the first full-squad workout on thursday.

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Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog, and you can follow him on Twitter (below).

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How the Yankees might replace Robinson Cano

Seeking a large pay day, no matter who it was from, Robinson Cano left the Yankees Friday in favor of the 10-year, $240 million contract offered by the Seattle Mariners, leaving a big hole at second base for the Bombers.

Like general manager Brian Cashman said Friday, everyone is replaceable, but some players are harder to replace than other.

Cano will be the hardest player that the Yankees have had to replace in the last few years -- Mariano Rivera might be just as hard to replace if David Robertson doesn't work out as closer.

Cano is a career .300 hitter. He's hit at least 25 homeruns in each of the past five seasons, with at least 100 RBIs in three of the past five seasons. Not to mention, he's played in at least 159 games in each of the past seven seasons. It's hard to find a great player as durable as he is.

The Yankees will have to replace their Gold Glove in the field, their Silver Slugger at the plate, and their only positional All-Star in 2013. There is a few ways we could see them do that.

Option No. 1 would be having Kelly Johnson, who officially signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Yankees on Friday, playing second base next season. This is a possibility, but the Yanks see him more as a utility infielder that will play around around the diamond, and could even play in left field if needed.

If they don't feel like that would be best, then they can go with the most likely option, which would signing free-agent second baseman Omar Infante, who the Yankees have been talking to throughout this offseason, and even reportedly made an offer to.

The terms of the offer the Yanks supposedly made to him are unknown, but MLBTradeRumors.com predicted that he would sign for three-years, $25 million.

The Yankees are chasing him for his glove, but he would be able to play second base, and even third base, if needed, as long as you-know-who is suspended for most or all of next season. He's played mostly at second base in his career, but third base is still an option.

At the plate, Infante would be able to help the Yankees, although not at the capabilities that Cano was at the plate. Infante hit .318 with 10 homeruns and 51 RBIs for the Detroit Tigers this past season. If he can hit somewhere around or above .300, and hit between 10-15 -- with some help coming from the hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium -- then Infante would prove to be a solid pickup for the Yanks.

Of course, the Yankees could decide to explore the trade market. Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips has been one of the top names thrown around. The Yankees checked in on him this winter and the price is said to be too high, and I wouldn't expect the Yanks to have enough pieces anyway.

Howie Kendrick of the Los Angeles Angels could be another name to watch. A deal for him would seem to be a little more realistic, and the Angels would likely be looking for some pitchers in a deal, and the Yankees have some decent backend of the rotation depth.

You could also look at Nick Franklin on the Mariners. Now that Cano is in Seattle, there isn't any room for Franklin, and it would seem likely that he could be moved.

One player you won't see playing second base for the Yankees anytime soon, or ever, I should say: Alfonso Soriano. While it would be a great story to have Soriano playing second base for the Yanks once again, it won't happen. He'll be 38-years-old in January, and hasn't played second regularly in eight years. He can barely play the outfield, so the infield won't workout well either.

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Robinson Cano didn't like playing for Joe Girardi

As it turns out, the money wasn't the only thing driving Robinson Cano out of the Bronx. In a report published for the NY Post, George King cited a few people close to the All-Star shortstop saying that Cano did not like playing under manager Joe Girardi, and that was one of the reasons he decided to sign with the Seattle Mariners for 10-years, $240 million.

According to three people who know Cano, he didn’t enjoy playing for manager Joe Girardi and that may have factored into the decision, though the Mariners giving him $60 million more than the Yankees offered ($175 million) likely had more to do with him leaving. 

“Robbie didn’t like batting second, he wanted to bat in the middle of the order,’’ one person said. “The Yankees wanted him second because that was best for the team. He wanted to hit in the middle of the order to drive in runs [to increase his value].’’ 

Through the middle of June, Cano shuttled between second and third in a lineup that didn’t have Derek Jeter to hit second or Rodriguez in the cleanup spot. 

For the season, Cano batted third in 110 games, hitting .319 with 16 homers, 73 RBIs and an OPS of .886. As the No. 2 hitter in 42 games, he hit .308 with 10 homers, 30 RBIs and a .955 OPS. 

“He told me he didn’t want to play for [Girardi],’’ a friend of Cano’s said.

I don't know about you, but I think Girard has done a great job since taking over the managerial position in 2008. This past season was a prime example of just how good he is. Given a roster that wasn't even suppose to win, throw in a ton of injuries and having to use a franchise-record 56 players, Girardi still managed to squeeze 85 wins out of his group.

As you probably know, Girardi was re-signed this winter to a four-year, $16 million extension to keep him in the Bronx. he was being targeted by a number of teams, including his hometown Chicago Cubs.

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With Cano out of the picture, where do the Yankees go from here?

I never thought I'd be saying this, but Robinson Cano is no longer a member of the New York Yankees. No, he's taken his talents to the northwest, where the money was, to sign a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Seattle Mariners.

With Cano leaving, the Yankees not only lost their best player, but it leaves them with more money to spend this offseason on positions that they really need to upgrade, like the starting rotation, third base, and of course, second base.

Because they suddenly have more money to spend, the Yankees are virtually "in" on every free-agent on the board, according to some within the industry.

That would mean we could see them make a run at free-agent outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, who the Yanks had been showing interest in this offseason. In my opinion, if they were to add Choo, that would give them six outfielder, making it almost certain you would some one, maybe even two, outfielders being moved. The likely candidates for that would be Ichiro Suzuki, Vernon Wells and Brett Gardner, the team's best trade chip.

With Cano out of the picture at second base, we will definitely see them make a move to bring in a starting second baseman for next season. The team officially announced the signing on Kelly Johnson to a one-year, $3 million deal Friday, and reportedly have an offer out to free-agent second baseman Omar Infante.

Should Infante accept their offer, that would obviously clear up the problem at second base -- but we all know he won't be anything near what Cano was at second.

If they can't reel in Infante, then we could see them make a trade to fill the hole left by Cano. I've been reading around that the Yankees should try to put a trade together for New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy. More likely than not, Gardner would be the centerpiece of a trade for Murphy, or any other player the Yankees try to acquire.

Many have also speculated that the Yankee could try their hand at making a run for Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips. Phillips appeared to be on the trading block early in the offseason, but the Reds' owner recently disputed those rumors. If he were up for trade, I can't see the Yankees even having enough pieces to land him.

The Yankees are also in the starting pitcher market, and the money freed up by Cano will go a long way in helping them land another starter. Hiroki Kuroda was re-signed to a one-year, $16 million deal Friday, bringing back one of their best pitchers in 2013.

They still have to acquire another starter, but where he might come from has yet to be determined. The Yankees have been showing a ton of interest in signing soon to be posted (maybe) Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka. He's been one of their top targets all offseason, and now that MLB and NPB have agreed to a new posting system, the soon to be 25-year-old right-hander will be up for grabs for all MLB teams.

As far as I know, the Yankees haven't shown much interest in most of the starting pitchers on the market, especially the top names like Matt Garza and Ubaldo Jimenez.

Brett Anderson of the Oakland Athletics has caught the eye of the Yankees, and they're one of the teams that could make a deal for him at the Winter Meetings next week. Anderson, a left-hander with great control of his pitches, could add some solidity to the rotation.

Obviously they also have to look at the bullpen. One of the things I heard was that if Cano left, the Yankees would use some of the money not taken up by him and use it for the bullpen, possibly to find a reliable closer or setup man.

Grant Balfour, John Axford and Andrew Bailey are a couple of names that I would keep an eye on. The Yanks had Joe Nathan as the No. 1 name on their bullpen list, but he signed with the Detroit Tigers last week, taking him off the board. Personally, I don't think the Yankees should be looking for a closer because I see David Robertson as the closer on Opening Day. I think he's done a great job the setup man the past couple of seasons, and he earned to right to get the chance to close.

As we've already seen this offseason, the Yankees are going to be aggressive and they are going to spend, even if it's not on Cano. They say they're in on just about everyone, and I don't doubt that. They're the Yankees, they have money, and that means they'll always be in on everyone.

They closed the deal on Brian McCann, and closed the deal on Jacoby Ellsbury. Now they just have to close to deal on a couple more players, and the Yankees will be set to go for a playoff run in 2014.

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Robbie Cano signs 10-year, $240 million deal with the Mariners

Ladies and gentlemen, Robinson Cano has left the building, and he's heading to The Rainy City.

In a deal first reported by CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman, with contract details provided by Enrique Rojas of EPSNDeportes.com, Cano shocked the world -- kinda -- by signing a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Seattle Mariners.

The deal, which is the third largest contract in baseball history, tied with the one Albert Pujols signed with Los Angeles Angels after the 2011 season, includes a full no-trade clause, sources told ESPN's Jim Bowden.

The agreement between Cano and the Mariners came just hours after talks broke down when Jay Z tried to overplay his hand and ask Seattle for 10-years, $250 million over the 9-year, $225 million they were preparing to offer.

Talks were said to be dead after Jay Z's demand, but that clearly wasn't the case. The Mariners' offer was almost $80 million more than the Yankees' highest offer seven-years, $175 million.

Adding Cano does not make the Mariners instant winners, because they still have a lot more work to do if they want to be better than the Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers or Los Angeles Angels, who are all in Seattle's division.

The Yankees, on the other hand, who Cano is leaving, just introduced new addition Brian McCann on Thursday, and a couple days before that signed Jacoby Ellsbury to a seven-years, $153 million contract. New York is in a much better position to win at the moment, and the Yankees will probably be in a better position than the Mariners for at least the next few seasons.

The Mariners come to the Bronx for a three-game series against the Yankees April 29th-30th and may 1st.

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Cano talks with Mariners break down, signing in Seattle unlikely

Jay Z has got 99 problems and asking for a reasonable contract for Robinson Cano is one.

By Thursday night, it was starting to look like Cano would be the next big superstar to play for the Seattle Mariners after Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. Cano was flying to Seattle to meet face-to-face with top Mariners executives, as they were reportedly ready to offer the all-star second baseman a 9-year, $225 million contract.

Cano's plane landed in Seattle shortly after 9pm EST, and was met there by his agent, Jay Z, who was able to attend because he had a concert in Anaheim on Friday.

Talks were said to be running fine, the Mariners believed that Cano was ready to accept their 9-year, $225 million offer, and then, as the NY Daily News reports, Jay Z tried to overplay his hand and asked for 10-year, $260 million. Seattle wanted no part of that, things go heated, and now Cano is unlikely to become the face of any Starbucks commercials in Seattle.

The Mariners' offer was $50 million more than what the Yankees are offering to Cano, at seven-years, $175 million. That's their sealing in terms of both money and years. The Yankees, according to reports, have no intention to ever offer Cano $200, and are standing firm at seven-years.

The Yankees haven't talked with Cano's representatives since early last week, and were suppose to resume talks on Monday, but because of the sizable gap between the two sides, they decided not to met.

During their last meeting with the Yankees, Cano lowered his asking price to nine-years, $250-$260 million.

Cano's father, Jose Cano, wants his son to stay with the Yankees because it's reasonably close to his Dominican Republic home, and close enough to where he can see his son often.

But Jose told the NY Daily News Thursday that he isn't impressed with the way the Yankees are pursuing his son, and thinks they don't really want him back.

"The Yankees don't seem to want him," Jose Cano told the Daily News on Thursday.

"Look, we're still talking," Yankees principal owner Hal Steinbrenner said Thursday. "Nobody has given up. We're still talking, but obviously we're a decent distance apart. We're just going to have to see, day by day. That's all we can do."

General manager Brian Cashman also said Thursday that the Yankees have been trying to re-sign Cano, but it's hard to get that done at the moment with all of the holes the Yanks still have to fill.

"We would love to have him," Cashman said. "Just like we took Brian McCann right now from the Braves and every other suitor because we were willing to pay a certain amount, that certainly could happen to us in the Robbie Cano sweepstakes. That's the way the process works.

"Some people wind up signing elsewhere for more money than the home club was willing to give and other players can take discounts to stay if they have better offers. Sometimes you find common ground and get a deal done. I can't tell you how this is going to shake out just yet. He's a great player, he's been a great Yankee, I've got nothing but good things to say about him."

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Cano flew to Seattle to meet with the Mariners Thursday

Probably hearing how I think the Seattle Mariners aren't a very serious threat to land Robinson Cano, they make us think otherwise.

Enrique Rojas of ESPN.com is reporting the Cano flew to Seattle on Thursday, and the Mariners told him they are willing to offer ten-years, $230-$240 million, far, far from what the Yankees, or any other team for that matter, have offered him so far.

Cano is seeking a deal within the ten-year, $250-$260 range, and who knows if he's willing to sign with the Mariners at that price, given the amount of money the Yankees already spent this offseason to improve the ballclub.

The Mariners haven't made the playoffs since 2001, and the Yankees have won 27 championships in franchise history, including 2009 with Cano as a member of the club.

What the report from ESPN doesn't say is how interested in the Mariners Cano actually is, or whether he is just trying to put pressure on the Yankees to offer him a better deal than the seven-year, $175 million contract they have been standing firm at.

The Yankees have said they don't plan to go past the seven-years they have been offering, and also have no plans to offer anything starting with a "2."

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McCann and Ellsbury are nice, but work still needs to be done

The Yankees have already signed two of the biggest free-agents on the free-agent market, and we haven't even reached the Winter Meetings. It's worth noting that Robinson Cano is not one of those players.

After fumbling around in the drawers, the Yankees found their checkbook and now they're handing out big money deals like it's 2009 all over again.

While, yes, it's nice to have nice things and good players, the signings of both these All-Star players is not enough, solely, to get the Bombers back to the playoffs after missing the postseason in 2013. If they're going to completely recreate the success of 2009, more has to be done.

For the time being, the Yankees don't have a second baseman. Even after signing Ellsbury, the Yanks still believe they are directly in the running to re-sign Cano, but talks with him appear to be going nowhere. Although, if Ellsbury could get a seven-year, $153 million deal, I don't see why the Yanks won't give him more than $175 million.

Jon Morosi reports that the Yankees have made an offer to free-agent second baseman Omar Infante, and if he were to accept that before a deal with Cano could get done, you would have to think that it would hurt the chances of Cano coming back.

A couple positions over, the Yankees still have to figure out who is going to play third base for them next season. There is probably no one within the organization that thinks Alex Rodriguez will be with the team on Opening Day. A decision with him won't likely come down until January 1st, I heard on Tuesday. The Yanks will save a ton of money should his suspension be upheld through, at least, the full 2014 season.

Infante could be an option to play third, but unlikely. I've said in the past that the Yankees could re-sign Mark Reynolds and have him playing third in place of A-Rod. That wouldn't be a terrible option. He would provide some power from the right-side of the plate. Right now, the Yankees would have Derek Jeter and Alfonso Soriano in the right side of the plate, with Mark Teixeira also being a switch-hitter -- you also have to hope that Jeter and Teixeira remain healthy.

The you have to take a look at the holes in the rotation and bullpen. Apparently the Yankees don;t even know who is going to be closing games for them next season. GM Brian Cashman has said publicly that he's unsure if David Robertson is ready to close.

The Yankees, reportedly, aren't going to start looking into the closer market until after something happens with Cano. Even then, the options in that area might be slim at that point. Joe Nathan signed a two-year deal with the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, so he is off the board. Grant Balfour, to me, just doesn't fit in New York. I wrote that John Axford and Andrew Bailey would be solid bullpen options, but only has setup men because I think Robertson should be the closer -- he's earned the opportunity.

On the other side of pitching, CC Sabathia is still that headline of the rotation, and he declined dramatically in 2013. Ivan Nova is up and down, and you can only hope he pitches well all season, and not just at times. After that, the Yankees are still waiting on a decision from Hiroki Kuroda, who has an offer from the Yankees.

It doesn't appear that Masahiro Tanaka will be posted anytime soon, and he was the Yanks' No. 1 target this offseason. Eventually, though, if he does get posted, the Bombers will be big players for him, too.

At this point, the Yankees are starting to look like they could actually compete for a championship once again in 2014, but they still have to finish filling out the roster first. Yes, it's nice to have players like McCann and Ellsbury, but don't get caught up in that, because there is still work to be done.

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Also read: With Cano out of the way, where do the Yankees go from here?
Also read: Brett Gardner could now be a valuable trade piece.

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Mariners are a "major player" to land Robinson Cano

For years, the Seattle Mariners have been desperate to land a big bat during the offseason, and they have failed every time. Well, this time they're going to try their luck at the biggest free-agent on the market: Robinson Cano.

Yes, ESPNNewYork.com's Wallace Matthews has reported that the Mariners have now joined in the running to land the All-Star second baseman.

A source told Wallace that the Mariners might be willing to offer more than the Yankees, being something worth $200 million over eight-years.

"I wouldn't presume to say that there's no one out there that will meet [Cano's] demands,'' said another source, who named Seattle -- along with possibly the Texas Rangers -- as a team that might be willing to outbid the Yankees for Cano's services.

"Now it's a question of, does (Cano) want to be a Yankee, or is he just about the money?," a baseball insider told Wallace.

Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik denied to confirm whether he had a meeting with Cano.

"We've talked to everybody," Zduiencik told ESPNNewYork's Andrew Marchand on Tuesday. "There's not a free agent we haven't talked to. We've cast a wide net.''

The Yankees haven't had talks with Cano's representatives since last Tuesday, and Cano was said to have lowered his asking price to nine-years, $250 million. Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports says that the Yankees don't plan on offer Cano over seven-years, or anything over $200 million anytime soon.

The Yankees, according to multiple reports, have upped their offer to Cano to seven-years, $175 million -- an average salary of $25 million per year. A source told Wallace that the Yankees are now "50-50" on whether they even want to retain him at this point.

"(The Yankees) think this offer is incredibly fair,'' the insider told Wallace. "It's the highest average annual salary they've paid anyone except for Alex Rodriguez. Not even (Derek) Jeter got that kind of money.''

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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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Cano's current asking price: 9-years, $250-$260 million

During meetings with the Yankees this past week, Robinson Cano's representatives reportedly moved "very slightly" off the high asking for the All-Star second baseman. We didn't know then what that meant, but we do now.

Ken Davidoff of the NY Post is reporting that Cano's asking price now sits in the range of $250-$260 million over the span of nine-years, placing him around Alex Rodriguez territory.

A source also told Davidoff that Cano’s representation, led by Jay Z and Brodie Van Wagenen, have never asked anyone for the insane 10-year, $310-million package, or anything starting with a "3" since he became a free-agent.

Cano most likely did, in fact, ask for something in the $300 million range, but that would have been the price May, when Cano was trying to keep himself from hitting the open market in the offseason.

Davidoff also said that the Yankees have stood firm at their offer of seven-years, $160-$175 million.

The Yankees are scheduled to talk with Cano's side once again on Monday.

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Robinson Cano: "I've never asked anyone for $300 million."

All offseason, we've been waiting around for the Yankees to strike a deal with second baseman Robinson Cano. As it stands, the two sides are still about $150 million apart, as Cano's camp has reportedly been asking for a 10-year, $310 million deal.

But Cano recently talked to a reporter from the Dominican website El Dia, in spanish, about his contract negotiations with the Yankees, and denied his asking price. Andy Martino of the NY Daily News translated Cano's comments.

"I've never asked anybody for $300 million," the free-agent second baseman told the Dominican website El Dia on Thursday. Cano went on to say in Spanish that "nobody has ever heard that come out of my mouth ($300 million) and you're never going to hear it."

Most likely, Cano is telling the truth, and while he might still be asking for something over $200 million, it has probably been his agents, including Jay Z, that have been asking for the $310 million. However, it does seem that Cano did ask the Yankees for $300 million around the All-Star break as a way to avoid hitting the open market, but I'm sure his own price his dropped off that.

His agents met with the Yankees last week, and though not much progress was reportedly made, Cano's side his moved down "very slightly" from its $310 million asking price. As to how far down that might be, we don't know.

The Yankees have offered Cano a contract worth $160-$170 million over seven years, and team president Randy Levine said a couple weeks ago that the Yankees have no plans on paying any player more than $200, and that "unless he gets more realistic, we have nothing to talk about."

The Yankees and Cano's agents are expected to meet again sometime within the next week after taking a break through the holidays.

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Yankees meet with Cano's agents, sides still far apart

The Yankees met with representatives of Robinson Cano on Tuesday and hopes to come a little bit closer in contract talks to bring the All-Star second baseman back to the Bronx. It's not known how long they met, but the two sides are said to still be far apart.

"There's still a pretty big gap," a source to Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com. "But [the Cano side] did move a little."

The source talking to Wallace did not specify whether Cano's side was moving on the length, or total contract worth. Cano is reportedly looking for a 10-year, $310 million contract, which the Yankees have no plans to entertain.

Cano, himself, was not at the meeting, but Brodie Van Wagenen and Juan Perez of CAA Baseball were in New York to talk with Yankees team president Randy Levine and general manager Brian Cashman. Jay Z was also not present.

The Yankees are expected to meet with Cano's representatives once again on Wednesday.

With Cano apparently looking for something around $300, the Yankees have reportedly offered the second baseman a seven-year deal worth approximately $160 million. At that price, the two sides are about $150 million apart.

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner has already said this winter that the Yankees have no plans to hand out another 10-year contract, presumably after seeing what has become of Alex Rodriguez. They also don't plan on giving Cano anything over $200 million, the source told Wallace.

Levine also told ESPNNewYork.com last week that "Unless he gets a little more realistic, we have nothing to talk about."

The Yankees have shown a willingness to get deals done quickly this winter, as they did when signing Brian McCann to a five-year, $85 million contract over the weekend. The Yanks are also said to be very involved with free-agent outfielder Carlos Beltran.

Because the Yankees say they are trying to get payroll under $189 million, as well as spend enough money to get the team back in the playoffs after missing out on October baseball this past season, reports say the Yankees' might not be willing to wait on Cano if they have the chance to spend money elsewhere. Though it's yet to be seen if they'll just let their best player walk without a fight.

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Yanks have offers out on other players, no traction with Cano

The Yankees signed Brian McCann to a five-year, $85 million contract on Saturday and that doesn't mean they're done grabbing everyone they can.

The Yankees have offers out on other free agents. This offseason is way too important for them to sit and wait. No traction w/ Cano.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) November 24, 2013

As Olney notes, the Yankees have offers out on other players, and that's not really a surprise when you consider that the Yanks had been looking at almost all of the top free-agents no the market. What would be surprising, however, is who those free-agents are, and how much the Yankees have offered them.

Players like Shin-Soo Choo, Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury and Stephen Drew have been on the Yankees' radar this offseason, and they have appeared to be very engaged with all of them.

The Yankees have also been looking at relievers such as Grant Balfour. With Mariano Rivera retired, Brian Cashman said during the GM meetings that he isn't sure if David Robertson is ready yet to take over the closer role. Maybe the Yanks have an offer out on Balfour.

It was reported by Joel Sherman of the NY Post yesterday that the Yankees are starting to feel "more upbeat" about Hiroki Kuroda returning next season. If that's the case, they might have an offer extended to him, hoping he'll accept it to fill out one more spot in the rotation while the wait to see if Masahiro Tanaka will ever be posted.

Either way, the Yankees are acting this offseason like we never thought they would. They appear to be going right after free-agents, and wasting no time in scooping them up before other teams can get their hands on them. That was the way they did business with McCann, as their offer was enough to take him off the market before the Winter Meetings, when he was expected to make a decision.

For a team that entered the offseason with a ton of questions and holes to fill, they have done a good job over the past couple of days to show that they plan on being championship contenders next season.

Olney also noted that there is no traction in talks with Robinson Cano. Last night it was reported that the Yankees were going to meet with Cano's representatives this week, and it seems like neither side is willing to move from the amount of money they're looking for.

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