On December 12, 2013, the Yankees franchise changed. After maintaining a tradition that homegrown stars would always remain in the Bronx, Brian Cashman and the Steinbrenners allowed Robinson Cano to explore his options in free agency without a competitive offer. On that day, he signed a ten-year, $240 million contract with the Seattle Mariners.
In one way, it was an excellent decision. The Yankees emphasized their new-look philosophy that they wouldn’t get burned by long term deals a la Alex Rodriguez, so they passed and bet on Jacoby Ellsbury (who ended up getting an even worse deal, ironically), Brian McCann (no longer on the team), and Carlos Beltran, who turned out to be the most valuable of the three between his on-field performance and trade returns.