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New York Yankees: The 10 biggest mistakes the Yankees ever made

By Ryan Morik

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 30: Jacoby Ellsbury #22 of the New York Yankees reacts in pain after hitting the ball off his foot in an MLB baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 30, 2017 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. Yankees won 2-1. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 30: Jacoby Ellsbury #22 of the New York Yankees reacts in pain after hitting the ball off his foot in an MLB baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 30, 2017 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. Yankees won 2-1. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – JULY 18: Robinson Cano #22 of the Seattle Mariners rounds third base after he hit a two run home run in the first inning during a MLB baseball game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 18, 2015 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – JULY 18: Robinson Cano #22 of the Seattle Mariners rounds third base after he hit a two run home run in the first inning during a MLB baseball game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 18, 2015 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

8. Letting Robinson Cano go

While Cano’s 2019 was disappointing, that 10-year deal with Seattle was looking pretty decent in its first five years. And while it’s hard to defend a 10-year deal that will end in 2023, this is justifiable.

Cano never landed on the disabled list in the first 14 years of his career. With the Yankees, Cano slashed .309/.355/.504, and hit 324 homers while winning two Gold Glove Awards. With the Mariners, he hit .296 with an .826 OPS.

Of course, the 37-year old Cano isn’t the same player, but the Yankees were rocking with Brian Roberts, Stephen Drew, and Rob Refsnyder before acquiring Starlin Castro in 2016.

Of course, the Yankees made the postseason even with Refsnyder as the starting second baseman, but the problem was, the Yankees thought they were good enough to compete in 2014, Cano’s first season in Seattle.

Instead, they gave Jacoby Ellsbury a seven-year deal, while also paying Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran, and Masahiro Tanaka. While it’s hard to hate on signing Beltran and Tanaka, they could have acquire Mike Napoli, who outplayed McCann from 2014-2016, for cheaper, and gave some of that money to Cano instead of Ellsbury.

But just remember, the Yankees played a Wild Card game with Rob Refsnyder at second instead of Cano, whose .779 OPS, despite it being the worst of his career at that point, was still the better option.

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