Heyman: Yankees Have No Interest In Giving Swisher Multi-Year Deal

From Jon Heyman:

The Yankees are still planning to make a qualifying offer of about $13.5 million to free agent Nick Swisher, but only to protect the draft choice, not with any hope or expectation he'd accept the offer and return to the Bronx.

While Swisher generally had a nice four-year run in the Bronx, the Yankees are ready to move on after a fourth straight postseason of struggle for Swisher.

The Yankees were certain all year they'd extend the qualifying offer, and it appears they still are extremely likely to do so since the chances for him to accept would still appear to be remote.The one-year qualifying offer amount is expected to be for about $13.5 million in the new set-up, so the great likelihood would seem to be that Swisher could beat that total on a multiyear deal elsewhere.

The Yankees haven't made a final determination about what to do. General manager Brian Cashman declined comment.

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The Yankees have no interest in making Swisher a multi-year deal at the going rate, but that's mostly about their desrire to get their payroll below the lucury tax threshhold of $189 million in 2014 -- though of course Swisher's .167 batting average with only two RBI in 30 postseason at-bats doesn't help, either.

Also according to Heyman, other MLB execs expect Swisher to get a 3-year-deal.

Pineda Likely Out Until June or July

From Dayn Perry:

Pineda was initially expected back in spring training, however irrationally optimistic such a timetable was. Now, Yankees GM Brian Cashman says Pineda is not expected back until well into the 2013 season.

"We have to keep him off our radar for now," Cashman, appearing on Ian O'Connor's ESPN New York radio show, said of Pineda. "We're talking June of next year ... the second half of next year."

Some pitchers have been out for two seasons with this injury, so this is hardly unexpected.

Sherman: Cano Wants 10-Year Deal

From Joel Sherman:

Whenever I have asked about his financial goals, Cano always has said he is not concentrating on that subject. Yet a few members of the team told me Cano has said he is expecting a 10-year contract at top-of-the-market dollars. In a conversation with me yesterday, Boras also did not give numbers, but it was clear he expects his client to be treated financially like one of the great players in the game.

Boras said he anticipates the no-brainer move of the Yankees picking up Cano’s $15 million 2013 option, but he does not foresee an extension this offseason because “their normal course of action with players under contracts is to let them play it out, so I don’t think there will be urgency on their part.”

The Yankees’ urgency is in knowing that if an extension is not done by the start of spring training, Boras almost certainly would take their best player into the free-agent market for 30 teams to bid on a year from now.

You obviously pick up his option for next season, $15 million for Cano is very reasonable, even with his annual October disappearing act. But if those are going to be his demands, I think the Yankees should call his bluff and see if any other team is stupid enough to give Cano that type of deal. If there is one, then they should strongly consider letting him walk.