Robinson Cano's people have said they want their client to sign a new $305 million deal. This is on par with Alex Rodriguez's last fat contract.
Cano is the premier free agent this off season. But no one believes he is worth $305 million.
Part of the puffing could be that it appeared that the Dodgers were spendthrift West Coast sailors. The team had a hole at second base to add to their All-Star line up. Cano was hoping to use the Dodgers as leverage to squeeze another team, including the Yankees who are about to grow old and lose several players.
But the Dodgers did an interesting and smart move. They signed Cuban infielder Alexander Guerrero on a four-year, $28MM contract that could reach $32MM via incentives, according to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez.
Guerrero, who will turn 27 this
December, will be able to hit the open market entering his age-31
season, which should allow him to sign another strong contract if he is
able to live up to his potential.
Guerrero batted .290/.402/.576 with 21 home runs in 328 plate appearances in his final season in Cuba's Serie Nacional. That line, along with the .316/.406/.586 that he slashed from 2010-12 in his age 23-25 seasons, was enough for his agent to compare Guerrero's power to that of Dan Uggla. While that comp should be taken with a grain of salt, the bar is set
pretty low for Guerrero in the Majors, at least among his new peers;
Major League second basemen slugged just .376 this year as a group.
This signing takes the Dodgers out of the Cano sweepstakes. It fills a need with another Latin player just as Yasiel Puig did this year.
