Hal Steinbrenner told the Associated Press on Tuesday that the Yankees have discussed a "significant" new contract with Robinson Cano's camp.

Cano can hit the free agent market after the 2013 season and the Yankees want to keep him from doing so. They generally have a policy against issuing contract extensions prematurely.

"We expressed to (agent) Scott (Boras) how much we like Robbie and what a great Yankee he's been, and we hope he continues his career here for a long time to come," Steinbrenner said. "We just indicated to him on a very preliminary basis that we were willing to consider a significant long-term contract, and left it at that. There's really nothing to report since then."

Cano addressed his contract situation on Monday, saying "It's not about the money," while adding that he wants to remain a Yankee for the rest of his career.