Yankees not waiting on Cano, Mariners to make offer

• Cano is the top free agent on the market
• The Yankees refused to offer Cano a 10-year%2C %24300 million contract
• The Mariners offered Cano a 10-year deal worth at least %24230 million

Robinson Cano would love to talk, shout out his true feelings as if he's on stage with Jay Z, but realizes it won't do a bit of good.

You don't take on the New York Yankees in a media blitz and live to tell about it.

So while the Yankees were trotting out $85 million catcher Brian McCann in front of the cameras, microphones and pens Thursday at Yankee Stadium, Cano was off to Seattle, where he'll be offered a 10-year deal worth at least $230 million by the Mariners, according to ESPN Deportes.

"We're not waiting for Robbie,'' Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said at the McCann news conference. "Robbie is not waiting for us. We're out there trying to sign players.''

The Yankees hate publicly admitting it, but they need Cano.

And Cano needs the Yankees.

Sure, Cano is aggravated by the Yankees' posturing this winter, just as Derek Jeter was two years ago when he became a free agent. Jeter was incensed about how he was portrayed by the Yankees. Still, he remained quiet. He didn't reveal his animosity until showing up for spring training.

Cano, like Jeter, badly wants to stay in New York. He loves the city. He embraces the fans' passion and the pressure that goes along with it.

He wants to be a star on the biggest stage in America, and only New York City can provide that.

This is why he dumped powerful agent Scott Boras in April and hired Jay Z and Roc Nation. You're not drinking champagne at the 40-40 club in New York, sitting courtside with Spike Lee at Knicks games and staring at Beyonce if you're represented by just a baseball agent.

"He loves the money,'' Cashman said last month.

He also loves the attention, just like the Yankees love winning. They just spent $153 million on center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury and are willing to dish out more on pitching to assure they get back to the playoffs.

Yet, the Yankees' moves won't make a bit of difference if they don't retain Cano, who along with Miguel Cabrera are the only players to hit .300 with at least 25 homers in each of the last five seasons.

And Jay Z won't make a bit of a difference for Cano if the second baseman is a time warp away in the Northwest, 2,400 miles away from New York City and 3,500 miles from his family in the Dominican Republic.

If this were Los Angeles, OK. Yet, the idea of going Hollywood evaporated when the Dodgers signed Cuban second baseman Alexander Guerrero to a four-year, $28 million contract in October.

The Yankees, a high-ranking official told USA TODAY Sports, have always thought their biggest competition for Cano would be the Mariners.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because negotiations are ongoing.

"I always felt there would be a time we would have to augment this club,'' Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik said on a conference call Wednesday. "I think we are at that time.''

The Mariners haven't been relevant in a dozen years.They have averaged 92 losses the past six seasons.

Cano could buy a suburb full of Starbucks franchises for $230 million, but then again, he won't need coffee for the nights he lays awake after games wondering what he got himself into if the Mariners don't win.

Yet, there are other competitive franchises that could emerge in this derby: The Washington Nationals and Texas Rangers could easily make Cano fit into their plans. Even the Los Angeles Angels, always stealth in free agency and now in the Dodgers' shadow, might want to remind fans and TV viewers they exist, too.

The Yankees, who insist they won't go to $200 million for Cano, or give him a 10-year contract, can only hope they're still in the ballpark when the final bids come in. The trouble is that they're 92 million apart.

Cano met with the Yankees two weeks ago, and according to a person with direct knowledge of the talks, he lowered his $310 million request in May to $252 million over nine years with a $28 million vesting option, making the total value $280 million. Yes, not so coincidentally, $5 million more than Alex Rodriguez's record 10-year, $275 million deal in 2007.

The Yankees are offering $160 million over seven years, a $20 million bump from their original offer.

They just aren't willing to make Cano the game's highest-paid player.

The Yankees, who think Cano is one of the five best players in baseball, but certainly not the greatest, even broke down their reasoning for their $22.8 million average annual salary. They pored over every player who averages at least $23 million.

Rodriguez and Albert Pujols were the two best players in baseball when A-Rod signed for $27.5 million a year. Justin Verlander, Felix Hernandez, Zack Greinke and Cliff Lee are former Cy Young winners. Pujols and Josh Hamilton are former MVP winners. Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins is a three-time batting champion. Prince Fielder had averaged 40 homers the previous five seasons. And when it came to Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, they merely told him it was simply an act of insanity giving him a five-year, $125 million extension.

"We think Robbie Cano is a great player,'' Yankees President Randy Levine told USA TODAY Sports. "We made him what we think is a very competitive and fair offer. We understand he has a right to test the market. We hope he remains a Yankee.''

The Yankees have to bump up their offer, too. YES Network ratings plummeted 31% in 2013 and their average attendance dropped 7.4% to 38,193. They at least have to force Cano to make a tough decision.

Cano, 31, has to dig deep himself, whether he's willing to check his ego at the security gate and stay in New York.

It's up to both sides if they want Cano to become the next face of their franchise.