There is no reason to pick on Robinson Cano. After all he had the best offensive season of his career and improved from his indifferent defensive campaign of 2008. He seems to be, however, the one Yankee that gets lost in the championship shuffle. Perhaps it was his subpar performance in the postseason or the fact that advanced statistics indicates he is the worst player in baseball in the clutch. Whatever it may be Cano doesn’t seem to have the impact that his statistics would indicate otherwise. Last year there was tons of speculation about the Yankees desire to trade him after a subpar 2008. That would have been foolish as Brian Cashman would only have obtained fifty cents on the dollar for the enigmatic second baseman. This year might be a different story as Cano has tremendous value. Enough so that I would explore what he could fetch you on the open market. The other reason is the Yankees might be deep enough to replace him since they have Ramiro Pena and Kevin Russo.

Russo is one of the most interesting members of the NYBD Top 10 Yankees prospect list. He never gets discussed in a system that includes Jesus Montero and Austin Jackson. Russo might not have the offensive ceiling of those two, but he may be more polished and a better all around player at this point of his development. Russo has hit at every level and had an outstanding season at AAA Scranton (.828 OPS). His defense is also very solid. Russo to me is a David Eckstein type.

Ramiro Pena isn’t quite as sexy offensively, but his defense is exactly what you want up the middle. I see him more as a utility type, and so do the Yankees, as they sent him to the minors to learn multiple positions. It’s not out of the question the kid learns to hit enough to establish himself as a full time player. He hit .287 in part time duty and perhaps with more plate discipline can establish himself as an offensive threat. Remember a guy named Ozzie Smith? He couldn’t hit worth a lick early in his career, but became better with age. I am not saying Pena is Ozzie Smith, but let’s not write him off at the tender age of 24. I also caution you to not underrate his defense.

I am not advocating trading Robinson Cano, but rather exploring his value. You just never know who you can obtain in return. Would it be crazy that Zack Greinke becomes available in Kansas City? I know he signed a long term deal, but in this economy anything can happen. You get the feeling that Cano is going to be a player that always leaves you wanting in one way or another. That’s why dealing him now might yield an interesting return. You also have the confidence that you can replace Cano with a solid young second baseman that may even improve your up the middle defense.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

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Tags: Austin Jackson, David Eckstein, Jesus Montero, Kansas City Royals, Kevin Russo, New York Yankees, Ozzie Smith, Ramiro Pena, Robinson Cano, Zack Greinke