Cano offered the Yankees a nine-year deal worth $250-260 million, according to a report.
Free agent second baseman Robinson Cano proposed a nine-year contract worth between $250 and $260 million in a meeting with the New York Yankees last week, according to a report from Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. The Yankees responded with a seven-year offer for between $150 and $150 million, leaving a gap of about $100 million between the two sides.
The market for Cano has been slow to develop, with the Mets being the only other team to formally meet with Cano's representatives. As Davidoff notes, the Nationals, Tigers, Mariners, Rangers have also been rumored as possible destinations for the 31-year old.
Davidoff notes that Cano's representatives and the Yankees will talk again on Monday, with each hoping that the other has come closer to a compromise in the week between discussions. Due to their many current roster holes, the Yankees have expressed that they are not willing to wait for Cano this offseason, and will use their financial resources on other players who can help the club.
After signing Brian McCann to a five-year, $85 million contract that could reach $100 million due to a vesting option, the Yankees have been had discussions with Carlos Beltran, Shin-Soo Choo, Jacoby Ellsbury and Stephen Drew, according to Davidoff. Davidoff's colleague Joel Sherman wrote earlier today that the Yankees are the strong favorite to sign Beltran, and the other outfielders remain as lesser possibilities.
The Yankees have also been considering alternatives at second base in case Cano signs elsewhere. According to reports, New York has expressed interest in free agent Omar Infante and Brandon Phillips of the Reds.
As Davidoff notes, the Yankees are waiting on an answer from Hiroki Kuroda and a resolution on the Masahiro Tanaka situation before looking for rotation help on the free agent market. A source confirms that the team has expressed preliminary interest in right-hander Bronson Arroyo, but are waiting to hear on the pair of Japanese pitchers before aggressively pursuing him. The Yankees have also been linked to Scott Feldman and Dan Haren this offseason, although Haren's agreement with the Dodgers takes him out of the running.
