MLB | Don'tcha know letting Cano go remains screw up by Yankees?

Still seems wrong even to this day, that Robinson Cano didn't remain a member of the Yankees ...

But instead moved on to the Pacific Northwest, where he remains an all-star 2B with Seattle.

by Jack Kerwin  |  ydkjack1@gmail.com

Good stuff today, Philly area peeps.

We get to point the “you dummy” finger elsewhere. Legitimately ...

Not for nothing, but it’s about time everyone, including our “woe are we” selves, that the market for bone-headed decisions in the pro sports hasn’t become exclusive to the Delaware Valley.

Put it this way, while not everyone can pull off sheer botchery like Chip Kelly or Ruben Amaro, not many have the magic touch of Theo Epstein, either. Or the old Brian Cashman.

Yo, even the Yankees screw up. Ain’t that right, new Brian Cashman?
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Seriously. Holy cow …

While everyone raised an eyebrow to Major League Baseball’s signature franchise, under the direction of its longstanding GM, unloading possible Hall of Famer Carlos Beltran to Texas at the trading deadline earlier this week while in the midst of his best season in four years, the reality is the Bronx Bombers’ biggest blunder of the millennium reared its head in the form of Seattle success once again Wednesday night.

Well into Season 3 of a “don’t let the door hit you on the way out” departure from New York, Robinson Cano remains a stellar player with the Mariners … and a mystery in not still being a Yankee.

Yeah, get it. A multi-time all-star set to be a free agent after 2013, he was going to command a lot of money. The club was caught in a bind with Derek Jeter, the beloved “Captain” who wanted to come back for a final, healthy season. It wasn’t prepared to pass the torch to Cano, and, in fact, it wasn’t exactly espousing belief that he was worthy of receiving said torch anyway.

So, it let him go.

Dumb move … Don’tcha know.

As was evidenced with the latest MVP consideration-worthy effort by Cano. Thanks to his three-run, game-winning blast into the Pacific Northwest night in the eighth inning, Seattle managed to erase a 4-1 deficit to Boston and remain firmly affixed in the American League wild-card race at the close to MLB business less than 24 hours ago.

In a sweet touch of irony … a half-game ahead of the Yankees.

Here’s the rub of the whole thing:

There is nothing to knock about with Jeter or the team’s desire to bring him back for one more go-’round. But it never, ever should have let Cano leave … especially if it was seeking someone to step into Jeter’s shoes.

You ain’t gonna find a more perfect candidate in any organization to step in for its ultimate idol in almost seamless transition. Like Jeter, a homegrown talent, a defensive dynamo, an all-star, a World Series champion, a timeless treasure.

Fact is, when the Yankees deemed Cano unfit for such status, and accompanying payday, he was coming off a five-year stretch with the club in which he averaged 26 homers, 99 runs scored and 103 RBIs. He hit .320, .319, .302, .313 and .314 in succession from 2009 through 2013. Won three Gold Gloves at second base and four Silver Sluggers. Finished in the top six of the MVP voting four times.

Umm, never, in his illustrious 20-year career, did Jeter have a continuous stretch such as that.

At age 33, Cano currently ranks among the AL’s top 12 in seven offensive categories – hits, home runs, doubles, runs scored, RBIs, batting average and slugging percentage – and remains an elite all-around performer. Jeter, meanwhile, enjoys retirement.

Dumb move, Yankees.

Don’tcha know?
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Here’s the rub of the whole thing: There is nothing to knock about with (Derek) Jeter or the team’s desire to bring him back for one more go-’round. But it never, ever should have let (Robinson) Cano leave … especially if it was seeking someone to step in Jeter’s shoes. You ain’t gonna find a more perfect candidate in any organization to step in for its ultimate idol in almost seamless transition. Like Jeter, a homegrown talent, a defensive dynamo, an all-star, a World Series champion, a timeless treasure. Fact is, when the Yankees deemed Cano unfit for such status, and accompanying payday, he was coming off a five-year stretch with the club in which he averaged 26 homers, 99 runs scored and 103 RBIs. He hit .320, .319, .302, .313 and .314 in succession from 2009 through 2013. Won three Gold Gloves at second base and four Silver Sluggers. Finished in the top six of the MVP voting four times. Umm, never, in his illustrious 20-year career, did Jeter have a continuous stretch such as that.