Robinson Cano

In recent weeks, several teams have locked up franchise icons, including the Giants' Buster Posey, the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright and the Tigers' Justin Verlander. Without these key players hitting free agency in coming years, teams will have to work with what remains. 

A few players stand to gain tremendously from these signings, but will need to put up good numbers this season if they want to cash in on long-term deals this offseason. Here are my top five free agents in need of a strong 2013 campaign.

New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, just months away from free agency, has fired agent Scott Boras and joined Roc Nation Sports, a new agency headed up by Jay-Z.

Robinson Cano is a free agent after the 2013 season (as I'm sure you all know) and will now be seeking new representation after firing Scott Boras early Tuesday morning (via Buster Olney of ESPN.com).

For the first time in a number of years, the New York Yankees are heading into the regular season with a fair amount of uncertainty regarding the team's standing in the AL East.

The Yankees have boasted one of the strongest pitching rotations in the game over the past few years, with stars like C.C. Sabathia and Mariano Rivera leading the way.

We all know the situation by now.

The Yankees really want to keep Robinson Cano around for a long time.

The second basemen is one year away from hitting free agency and is likely in line for a major payday.

The Yankees are also historically known as a team that doesn't negotiate with players before or during a season.

The 10-year, $275 million contract Alex Rodriguez signed in 2007 is one of the biggest mistakes in the history of the New York Yankees. The only good thing that can be said about it is that it has taught the Yankees precisely where they should draw the line when it comes to long-term contracts.

Most fans are well aware at this point of the New York Yankees' plan to cut payroll down to $189 million before the start of the 2014 season.

Entering the 2013, the Yankees have at least 10 significant players on their roster that can or will be free agents after the season.

Their budget plans will make it next to impossible to bring back everyone.

The New York Yankees off-season has been a quiet one due to ownership implementing a new frugal stance.

Instead of story-lines about signing the biggest free agents, Yankee fans were relegated to watching the realities of missing the 2013 postseason grow by the day.

So as a result, fans, the media, and bloggers alike have been provided with plenty of things to grumble about.

It would be difficult to argue that for the past three seasons, the best everyday player on the Yankees hasn’t been one of their pricey acquisitions like Alex Rodriguez or Mark Teixeira or even their hall of fame stalwart, Derek Jeter.

After about half of a day of uncertainty—no thanks to Hall of Fame writer Peter Gammons—the Robinson Cano performance-enhancing drug rumors can be put to bed as false.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today broke the news yesterday that a MLB official denied such rumors: