ANAHEIM, CA – OCTOBER 22: Robinson Cano #24 of the New York Yankees watches batting practice prior to the start of Game Five of the ALCS against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Angel Stadium on October 22, 2009 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
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Few New York Yankees stars have carved out as unusual a post-MLB career as the veteran infielder who is now at the center of an unexpected contract dispute.
After becoming one of baseball’s most accomplished hitters in the Bronx, Robinson Cano has continued playing professionally overseas at age 43, including an increasingly prominent role in Mexican baseball, which is played during the summer.
His international career has also included a return to his native Dominican Republic, where he has spent much of his winter-ball career with the Estrellas Orientales. This offseason, however, a new opportunity appeared to take him outside his usual winter destination.
“Looking to augment the offense, (Tomateros de Culiacan) made the first big splash of the offseason, adding the bat of Robinson Cano, who plays for Tomateros manager Lorenzo Bundy during the summer with the Diablos Rojos del Mexico of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, for the upcoming winter ball season,” World Baseball Network’s Leif Skodnick reported. “It will be Cano’s first foray into winter ball outside of the Dominican Republic, where he has played 10 winter seasons with the Estrellas Orientales of LIDOM in his hometown of San Pedro de Macoris.”
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But according to a new report, Cano’s agreement with Tomateros was at the center of a legal ruling after the slugger attempted to return to his hometown team.
“According to my sources, the (court) ruled in favor of the Tomateros, since Cano had signed a contract with the Tomateros for US$60 thousand dollars; afterward, he tried to sign a contract with the Estrellas for RD$3.5 million,” Dominican baseball insider Mike Rodriguez reported in a translated social media post. “By law, Cano would be obligated to play with the Tomateros or they would have to release him so he could go to the Estrellas. At this moment, he belongs to the Tomateros.”
The ruling means Cano cannot simply return to the Estrellas for roughly the amount offered by Tomateros. Instead, Tomateros will evidently retain his winter-ball rights unless they decide to release him.
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Cano’s career has taken him far from the Bronx since leaving the Yankees after the 2013 season.
New York signed him as an amateur free agent in 2001, and he eventually became a centerpiece of the Yankees lineup from 2005 through 2013, helping the club win the 2009 World Series. He later signed a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Seattle Mariners before stops with the New York Mets, San Diego Padres and other clubs, as well as controversy surrounding positive performance-enhancing drug tests.
His international career has been notable.
“Since leaving MLB, Cano has played for the Diablos Rojos del Mexico in the summer, winning back-to-back titles with Bundy,” Skodnick added. “He won the LMB batting title in 2024 with a .431 average while hitting 14 homers and driving in 77 runs to lead the Reds to their first championship in over a decade.”
Now, Cano’s next winter destination is less certain than it appeared just weeks ago.
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