MLB trade rumors: Mariners’ Robinson Cano to Yankees for Jacoby Ellsbury?

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman needs a middle infielder to replace shortstop Didi Gregorius, who’s out after having Tommy John surgery. The Seattle Mariners are willing to move second baseman Robinson Cano, if the price is right. Could the Yankees dump Jacoby Ellsbury in a deal for Cano?

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Yankees general manager Brian Cashman kick-started his offseason by trading with Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto for left-hander James Paxton.

Could another deal between the two executives be in the works?

Cashman needs to replace shortstop Didi Gregorius, who’s out after having Tommy John surgery.

The Mariners are willing to move former Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano.

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal connects the dots:

Cano will play next season at 36. He served an 80-game suspension last season for violating baseball’s joint drug policy. His contract includes a full no-trade clause. And — ahem! — he is owed $120 million over the next five seasons. But as Dipoto “reimagines” his roster, he isn’t simply mulling the idea of moving Cano. He’s actively trying to do it, and the Yankees and Mets are two of the teams he has contacted about a trade, according to major-league sources.

A return to New York almost certainly would appeal to Cano, who played for the Yankees from 2005 to ’13 before signing his 10-year, $240 million free-agent contract with the Mariners. Whether Cano would appeal to either New York team — or any team at all, for that matter — is another question entirely, hinging mostly on how much of his deal the Mariners would be willing to absorb.

Earlier this offseason, sources said, the Mariners and Yankees briefly discussed a contract swap involving Cano and outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who is owed $47.2 million over the next two years and holds a full no-trade clause.

The Yankees wanted the Mariners to include significant cash in addition to taking Ellsbury, and the talks failed to gain traction, according to one source. Money was but one obstacle: Cano, who probably would need to be a first baseman-DH with his former team, has made just 10 career starts at first, all last season, and the Yankees do not want to tie up their DH spot.

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Cano is signed for five more seasons at $24 million per season, according to Spotrac.

Keep in mind Cano missed 80 games last season for violating baseball’s Joint Drug Agreement.

Cano made his big-league debut with the Yankees in 2005, when he was 22 years old.

In nine seasons in the Bronx, Cano hit .309 with 204 home runs. He was a five-time All-Star for the Yankees and helped New York win the 2009 World Series.

Mike Rosenstein may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @rosenstein73. Find NJ.com on Facebook.