Yankees trade rumors: Robinson Cano wants to come back to New York

After signing a ten-year deal with the Mariners two years ago, Robinson Cano is reportedly interested in coming back home. According to a "close friend," the New York Daily News is reporting that the former Yankee second baseman isn't loving his new home on the West Coast, especially under new management, and wants to find a way back into pinstripes.

The Yankees are obviously still in need of a second baseman, and they really have been since the day Cano packed his bags for Seattle. However, a reunion seems unrealistic. If the Yankees were interested in adding that much payroll they likely would have given Cano the deal in the first place. On the contrary, it seems like the team is more interested in shedding payroll so they can reset their luxury tax penalty instead of adding money on.

One scenario in which it could make sense for Cano to come back to the Bronx is a bad contract for bad contract swap. The Yankees would reportedly like to get rid of Jacoby Ellsbury's contract, so maybe a trade of unattractive contracts could get everyone what they want. The Mariners would likely have to pick up the difference between the two contracts for the Yankees to bite, though, and that doesn't seem like something the team is willing to do.

It's also possible that the bridge is just too badly burned at this point. There were a number of parting shots from the likes of Michael Kay and fans alike on Cano's way out of town. How would the second baseman who caught so much grief for his "greediness" and "lack of hustle" be received if he were to reunite with the team? The bad feelings may outweigh the good ones for many, no matter how silly that is.

With the Yankees' second base picture being so ugly since Cano left, it's difficult not to want to welcome him back with open arms. He's one of the best homegrown players the Yankees have developed in quite some time. Still, his contract is an ugly one that I am glad the Yankees didn't give him from a purely objective standpoint. If the Mariners are willing to eat some contract to send Cano back east, the Yankees should at least be willing to listen. It seems more likely that Cano and fans who would like to see Cano back in pinstripes will both have to keep wanting things, thought.