For a guy who signed a deal worth nearly a quarter of a billion dollars last offseason, Robinson Cano sure is uncomfortable discussing it.
“I’ll tell you one thing: I’m here to talk about baseball,” Cano said during a press conference at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday before making his first appearance with Mariners against the Yankees. “I don’t want to talk about the past. I put everything behind me, move on and play baseball.”
Easier said than done after he received a 10-year, $240 million deal and left for Seattle. The Yankees had countered with seven years and $175 million.
Cano repeatedly has said his former team didn’t show him respect with their offer. He returned to The Bronx perhaps a bit wiser than when he left.
“The thing to understand, this is a business,” Cano said. “I can’t control the Yankees. I can control myself. They made a decision and I guess we’re both happy because I’m happy where I’m at right now and happy being a Mariner and I’ll leave it up to them.”
He also knew enough not to expect a warm ovation from the crowd.
“One thing to understand about the fans: I know I’m not here anymore,” Cano said. “Now I’m with the Mariners. It’s not the same thing as when you’re with the home team with the crowd.
“I know I’m not a Yankee anymore. I have to understand the fans. They’re not gonna cheer for you here. They’re gonna boo you because you’re on the opposite team. That city wanted you to come here and do well.”
Despite what he may think of the organization’s refusal to break the bank to bring him back, Cano insisted he wasn’t seeking revenge and hadn’t circled the date on the calendar.
“I’ll tell you one thing: I’m gonna play the Yankees like any other team,” Cano said. “I’m gonna play the game to win and go out there and do my job. … I’m not nervous. I was looking forward [to returning], but it’s not about ‘Robinson, he’s coming back, he might be angry, he might be mad.’ I’m just happy to be back.”
Joe Girardi believes Cano’s “no respect” stance has been overblown.
“I have never heard those words out of Robbie’s mouth,” Girardi said. “Sometimes during negotiations players can get passionate and heated. They want certain things to happen and they can get involved … $175 million dollars is a lot of money and seven years. I think we have always respected Robbie Cano and his talents. You will see that in how we try to pitch to him. We are not going to throw it right down the middle of the plate.’’
The manager was also confident Yankees fans would show Cano respect, regardless of their reaction.
“Whenever you are a great player, go somewhere and come back, I always thought the people cheering for you are showing you respect and the people who are booing you are showing you their respect,” Girardi said. “They didn’t want you to leave.’’