Yankees Turn the Tide With a Cano Extension

Reports from the New York area this afternoon (and later picked up by the national news) indicate that Robinson "Robbie" Cano and the Yankees are close to a multi-year extension, thereby avoiding arbitration altogether as well as possibly the first two years of his free agency eligibility. The numbers being reported are for a four-year, $30 million contract with a club option for 2012 and 2013. This would mean that Cano would be locked up through his four arbitration years.

The trend of signing young players to long-term deals is a familiar one this off-season, if less so for the Yankees as an organization. The Rox inked their rookie shortstop, Troy Tulowitski, to a somewhat unfathomable six year/$30 million deal, and the Tampa Bay Rays just signed RHP James Shields to a four-year deal. Shields has all of 52 major league games under his belt.

Even with this precedent in place for 2008, many Yankee fans were no doubt surprised by the rumblings of a long-term deal for Cano, even though Robbie had been expressing his desire all off-season to stay in the Bronx for the long haul. The unavoidable truth remained, however, that the Yankees, in the past ten years, had not been known for their willingness to hold onto their young talent. One by one, the richest team in professional sports saw their brightest prospects leave the organization in favor of big names with bigger baggage. Now, Cashman and Co. have, on more than one occasion, trumpeted their deep farm system and their desire to retain and mold their youngsters, going as far as to pull back a trade for Johan Santana because of a hesitancy to deal the best prospects in the game (don't take my word for it--ask Baseball America). It seems that, for once, they're willing to put their money where their mouth is regarding their resurgence of youth.

Why I love this deal:

The Cano deal carries much less risk for the Yankees than the Tulowitski or Shields signings do for their ball clubs. The bottom line is that Cano is a known, solid commodity. He's completed three full seasons with the Yankees, averaging 138 games per season, and playing in a career-high 160 games in 2007. He's shown he's a workhorse, playing through an abdominal strain in September and October 2007 and hitting .333 in the playoffs. In his second full season with the club, he finished third in batting and was selected to play in the All-Star game on the players' ballot (which, many say, is a more significant barometer of talent than fan voting).
In addition, Robinson Cano seems to get better and better every year. In 2007, he hit career highs in games played, RBIs, home runs, runs scored, hits, triples, and walks. The last stat is probably the most significant. Prior to the second half of the 2007 season, Cano was an impatient hitter. He was starting to rival Vlad Guerrero and the entire Kansas City Royals team in the very exclusive"throw it over here and I'll swing at it" club. After the break, however, he brought a noticeably more disciplined attitude to the plate and, in doing so, raised his average from .274 to .306, hitting .343 in the final 80 games. He hits to all fields, can power line drives to the gaps and can skip grounders through the middle. His power has increased every year, and many in baseball predict he'll be a solid 30-home run hitter within five years as well as a consistent batting title competitor.

He's a smooth fielder, too, with great range to his right side (a very important trait, considering who plays to his right) and a very strong arm. He gets rid of the ball quickly and has been an important second half of the Cabrera/Cano relay combination.

Then there's the ever-enigmatic intangibility factor. Along with Melky Cabrera, Cano has infused the team with an energy not seen since the late-90s. He can often be seen jumping up and down with Cabrera and urging veterans like Alex Rodriguez, Bobby Abreu, and Jorge Posada to cheer with them and enjoy playing the game. Many of those veterans have credited the "C &C Boys" with helping to turn the club around in the second half.

I'm excited to be able to see Cano play in the Bronx for at least four more years, and I can't help but anticipate bigger and better things for him every season. Well done, Brass. Well done.

What the media is saying about the deal:

Jon Heyman for SI.com
The Daily News
The Yankees Official Website
Matt Watson on MLB Fanhouse
Ken Rosenthal (who broke the story)