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Mets Release Robinson Cano

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May 8: As expected, Cano has now been released, per Tim Healey of Newsday.

May 2: The Mets designated second baseman Robinson Cano for assignment, according to an announcement from the team.  The club also optioned Yoan Lopez to Triple-A to get down to 26 players on the active roster.

The Mets owe Cano about $37.6MM through 2023, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  The Mets have set Cano’s eventual release in motion, so they’ll be eating the money owed to him.

Cano, 39, kicked off his career with nine seasons for the Yankees that included five All-Star appearances and MVP votes in six campaigns.  In a deal brokered by agent Brodie Van Wagenen with involvement from newly-certified agent Jay-Z, Cano left the Yankees for a landmark ten-year, $240MM free agent contract with the Mariners.  After a strong start to his Seattle career, things started going south for Cano in May of 2018 with an 80-game PED suspension.

Months later, Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto, who hadn’t been in the organization when Cano was signed, set to work trading him.  In December 2018, Dipoto sent Cano, reliever Edwin Diaz, and $20MM to the Mets for outfielder Jay Bruce, right-hander Anthony Swarzak, right-hander Gerson Bautista and prospects Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn.  At the time, the Mets’ new GM was none other than Van Wagenen.  The trade, which was more about Diaz than Cano for the Mets, came at the high cost of Kelenic, who went on to become one of the game’s top prospects.  For more on this disastrous trade, check out Jeff Todd’s superb YouTube video.

Though Cano was able to muster up a strong but brief 2020 season for the Mets, the hits kept coming with a 162-game PED suspension in November 2020 – not long after Steve Cohen bought the team and fired Van Wagenen.  With Cohen, Mets president Sandy Alderson, GM Billy Eppler, and manager Buck Showalter having no connection to the Cano deal, the clock was ticking if he didn’t produce this year after returning from his second suspension.

With a .195/.233/.268 line in 43 plate appearances, Cano struggled in his first big league action in more than 18 months.  As Tim Healey of Newsday and other Mets reporters have noted, even with Dominic Smith, J.D. Davis, and Luis Guillorme having minor league options, the correct baseball decision was to move on from Cano.  At 16-7, the Mets own the best record in the National League and chose not to let Cano’s contract dictate their roster.  Cano, who will eventually be released, will have the rest of his contract paid by the Mets less the prorated portion of the $700K league minimum if he hooks on elsewhere.

Cano indeed plans to continue searching for opportunities. Van Wagenen, who has again assumed a role in Cano’s representation upon joining Roc Nation Sports after being fired by the Mets, tells Sherman the 39-year-old “absolutely still wants to play. Given the right situation, he can still make a meaningful contribution for a team.”

It remains to be seen whether there’ll be a ton of interest in Cano’s services. In addition to the lost 2021 season and rough bottom-line numbers this year, he’s seen his contact rate plummet to a career-worst 73% in this season’s early going. He has chased nearly half the pitches he’s been thrown outside the strike zone, and he’s probably limited defensively to a rotation between second base, first base and designated hitter. It’s not the easiest profile for a team to roster unless they’re confident Cano can match or improve upon the .275/.321/.463 line he managed between 2019-20 as he gets further from his second suspension.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Mets Claim Gosuke Katoh From Blue Jays

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The Mets have claimed infielder Gosuke Katoh off waivers from the Blue Jays, according to an announcement from Toronto. The Mets had a vacancy on the 40-man roster and immediately optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse.

Katoh, 27, signed a minor league deal with the Jays over the offseason. A nine-year minor league veteran, he got his first big league opportunity when Toronto selected him to break camp with the MLB club. That proved a brief stay, as Katoh was optioned to Triple-A before appearing in a game. He was quickly recalled thereafter and got into his first eight contents, collecting a double and three walks with just one strikeout in 11 plate appearances.

The Jays designated Katoh for assignment on Wednesday when the need for another pitcher arose. They’ll lose him to the Mets, who add a versatile defender with a solid Triple-A track record to the organization. The left-handed hitting Katoh has a .292/.383/.457 line in a bit more than 700 career Triple-A plate appearances. He’s walked in a robust 12.3% of his trips to the dish at the top rung of the minor league ladder.

Quick Hits: Stearns, Rosenthal, Mets, Vazquez, Cruz

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In his latest piece, Jon Heyman of the New York Post suggests Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns is interested in filling a similar position for the Mets in the future. That Stearns might be interested in one day taking over the Mets front office isn’t new, but the timing of such a transition had long been obscured due to Stearns’ questionable contract status. Heyman now clarifies that it is “believed” the Brewers’ top executive can opt out of his contract if the Brewers reach the NLCS this season, after which the Mets would likely pursue him.

New York’s personnel decisions were a hot topic this past winter, as the team hired veteran manager Buck Showalter to lead a new on-field staff and were snubbed by a series of high-profile front office candidates. The Brewers were among the rejectors as well, with Brewers owner Mark Attanasio denying the Mets an opportunity to interview David Stearns on multiple occasions. Ultimately the Mets pivoted and signed Billy Eppler to a four-year contract to serve as their GM, with the industry expectation being that the Mets could install a president of baseball operations down the line. Both the Mets and Brewers are certainly pleased with their front office configurations at the moment, however, as the Eppler and Stearns-led clubs sport records of 19-9 and 18-8, respectively, atop their divisions.

Some other news of note on this Thursday evening…

  • Sticking with the Mets, Heyman suggests that the team is likely to seek relief help at the trade deadline. Right-handed reliever and free agent Trevor Rosenthal could be an early target according to Heyman, as the former closer is expected to hold a pitching showcase in the coming weeks. Reported interest in Rosenthal has been widespread since April, but has yet to manifest into a deal. The 31-year-old Rosenthal is coming off an ill-fated, one-year deal with the A’s in which he failed to throw a regular season pitch for the team due to injury. Before he underwent multiple season-ending surgeries in 2021, Rosenthal was fresh off a triumphant comeback season in which he posted a 1.90 ERA with a 41.8% strikeout percentage as the Royals’ and Padres’ closer.
  • Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez is keeping his options open as he nears free agency at the end of the season, per Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. The longtime Boston catcher figures to have his fair share of suitors should he reach free agency like expected, as he routinely draws plaudits for his defensive work and leadership even as his bat has waxed and waned throughout his career. To that end, the Red Sox picked up a $7MM club option on the veteran receiver this offseason even though his 2021 slash line of .258/.308/.352 paled in comparison to the stout .278/.327/.472 line he posted in the preceding two years. Vazquez is off to a tepid start this season with an OPS of just .524, though slow starts are nothing new for the catcher as he looks to lead his club up and away from a last-place tie with the Orioles.
  • Top Pirates prospect Oneil Cruz lit up the minor leagues last season and regularly draws comparisons to Aaron Judge, but Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette outlines a few reasons to temper expectations for the young slugger. The towering shortstop received a two-game game cameo in the majors last season but was ticketed for more work at Triple-A to begin the 2022 season. Thanks to a .159/.266/.256 start to the season and service time repercussions for Pittsburgh, Mackey figures a return to the big leagues is unlikely to happen in the near future. Another wrinkle to keep an eye out for is Cruz’s adoption of a new position this season: left field. Though the 6 foot 7 inch Cruz has primarily played shortstop since his pro debut, including this season, much has been made of his (in)ability to stick there long-term due to his size. The 23-year-old has plainly stated that he “[doesn’t] want to move to the outfield” however, which may complicate his permanent rise to the big league level. Incumbent Pirate shortstops Cole Tucker and Diego Castillo shouldn’t prove to be large roadblocks for the eventual promotion of a player the industry still holds in incredibly high regard. For now though, Pirates fans will have to wait a while longer for their best prospect to join Ke’Bryan Hayes in the lineup and, potentially, the left side of the infield for years to come.

Trevor May To Miss 8-12 Weeks

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4:21PM: May told DiComo and other reporters that his rough timeline for a return is 8-12 weeks.

12:51PM: Mets reliever Trevor May has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in the humerus of his throwing arm, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. He’ll be shut down from throwing for at least a month.

New York placed the righty on the 15-day injured list yesterday with what was initially termed triceps inflammation. Today’s diagnosis comes with an unfortunate timetable that’ll keep him out of action for a while. Even if he begins a throwing program around early June, he’ll need some time to build up arm strength before embarking upon a minor league rehab assignment. It wouldn’t be all that surprising if May isn’t ready for MLB action again until after the All-Star Break. It seems likely he’ll wind up on the 60-day injured list whenever the team needs to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

May signed a two-year, $15.5MM deal with New York over the 2020-21 offseason. That was a surprisingly affordable price given his excellent three-run with the Twins between 2018-20. May was an effective and durable middle innings option for former skipper Luis Rojas during his first year in Queens. Over 62 2/3 innings, he posted a 3.59 ERA with a very strong 31.2% strikeout rate.

The early results in 2022 haven’t been good, as May has been tagged for eight runs in 8 1/3 innings. He only has five punchouts, and his swinging strike rate has plummeted from 15.3% last season to just 8.4% this year. May’s fastball and slider velocity haven’t changed much, but he’s seen marked dips in the raw spin on both offerings. That has corresponded to a little less depth on his breaking ball, although May’s heater has been the primary culprit for his early poor results.

Presumably, the injury has played a key role in the drop in May’s arsenal and performance. He conceded on Monday (via Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News) that he’d been pitching through arm discomfort since first suffering a triceps injury on April 11. The Mets are surely hopeful he’ll be back to vintage form after an extended rest period to again serve as an important high-leverage option late in the year.

NL East Notes: Bassitt, Harper, Marlins, Meyer, Ramirez

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Both Chris Bassitt and Mets GM Billy Eppler declined to comment on whether any contract extension talks had taken place between the two sides, though a source tells The New York Post’s Joel Sherman that “nothing has been explored yet.”  Since Bassitt is slated to become a free agent after the season, it would be a little surprising to see him sign an extension before testing the market for the first time, particularly since the righty is building a strong case for a pricey multi-year contract this winter.  Over his first 31 innings in a Mets uniform, Bassitt has a 2.61 ERA, 28.1% strikeout rate, and 6.6% walk rate.

Locking up Bassitt would help the Mets solidify their 2023 rotation, as Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, and Taijuan Walker could all be free agents this winter.  An extension would also allow Bassitt and the team to avoid the shorter-term problem of an arbitration hearing set for May 23.  While this could be the 33-year-old Bassitt’s best (or only) chance to sign a big multi-year deal, he might prefer to just stay in New York if the Mets were to offer him such a deal right now, and the Mets have certainly shown they’re willing to spend for premium talent.  For his part, Bassitt said that he has enjoyed pitching for the Mets and that he’d be open to extension talks.

More from around the NL East…

  • Bryce Harper has been bothered by a mild right elbow strain for several weeks now, though MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki tweets that “nothing really has changed” following Harper’s latest visit with a team doctor.  It isn’t known when Harper will try throwing again, so the reigning NL MVP will continue to serve as the Phillies’ designated hitter.  Harper hasn’t played right field since April 16, but has still been productive (.288/.307/.542 with three home runs) over 62 plate appearances as a DH-only player.
  • Elieser Hernandez allowed five earned runs in four innings against the Diamondbacks today, boosting the struggling Marlins right-hander’s ERA to 6.66 over 24 1/3 innings this season.  This outing won’t end speculation about whether the Marlins could promote top prospect Max Meyer to replace Hernandez in the rotation, and Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of The Miami Herald write that the Fish are likelier to use Meyer as a starter than as a reliever whenever Meyer gets the call for his MLB debut.  “The organization still is a big believer in Hernandez,” according to Jackson/Mish, but that doesn’t mean the Marlins couldn’t opt to move Hernandez to the pen to accommodate Meyer.  A trade also can’t be ruled out, since Hernandez has drawn interest from other teams in the past.  For now, Meyer could be Miami’s top choice for an immediate rotation fill-in, since Braxton Garrett, Edward Cabrera, and Sixto Sanchez are all rehabbing injuries.
  • Also from Jackson and Mish, the Marlins were among the teams who talked with the Guardians about a possible Jose Ramirez trade prior to Ramirez’s new contract extension.  “No serious discussions took place” between Cleveland and Miami, and it was known that the Guards were asking for a huge return in any deal.  The Marlins’ young pitching depth arguably made them one of the teams that could have realistically met the Guardians’ big asking price, though it’s all a moot point now that Ramirez has been extended.

Injury Notes: Lewis, May, Gray, Longoria, Giants

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The Mariners announced that center fielder Kyle Lewis has begun a rehab assignment in Triple-A tonight, his first competitive assignment since he tore his meniscus last May. Foreshadowing what may come when the 2020 AL Rookie of the Year makes it back to the majors, the 26-year-old Lewis swatted a home run on his first swing back in minor league game action. Equally encouraging for M’s fans is manager Scott Servais’s assessment, who according to MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer notes the team can be “a little bit more aggressive than we’d normally be” in promoting Lewis.

Cutting a 20-day rehab assignment short would be a bold move for a player who played in just 36 games last season, but clearly speaks to the team’s confidence in Lewis’s recovery. For what it’s worth, the Mariners aren’t exactly hurting for offense at the moment, as they rank third in the AL in runs scored. The high-upside outfield trio of Jesse Winker, Julio Rodriguez, and Jarred Kelenic, as well as a mishmash of DH options, have yet to really get it going however, and seem likely to cede time to the right-handed Lewis in the coming weeks.

Some additional injury updates from around the league…

  • Mets reliever Trevor May is headed to the 10-day IL with triceps inflammation in his throwing arm, per Tim Healey of Newsday Sports. The typically reliable right-hander is off to a rough start in the 2022 season, allowing sixteen batters to reach base and half of them to score across eight appearances. The Mets currently sit atop the NL win column with an 18-8 record but if there’s one nit to pick with the team’s outstanding play so far it’s the bullpen, who have been a bottom-half unit in terms of run prevention this season. A return to health and vintage form from May will go a long way to shoring up the bullpen and taking pressure off the team’s lineup and rotation, both of which rank as top-5 groups in the sport. Right-hander Adonis Medina, who was acquired from the Pirates in early April, has been recalled to fill the bullpen vacancy.
  • The Rangers meanwhile welcomed back right-handed starter Jon Gray from the IL today after he sprained in his knee in his previous start. Gray, one of several splashy signings made by Texas this offseason, has yet to get into a groove with his new club. The 30-year-old has already been placed on the IL twice during the young season, and was pulled after 60 pitches in tonight’s match against the Phillies. A rough first inning ballooned his ERA up to 7.50 on the season, but a quiet pair of ensuing innings is what the Rangers and their beleaguered pitching staff will be looking for more of moving forward. Right-handed reliever Albert Abreu, acquired from the Yankees in April’s Jose Trevino trade, heads to the IL in Gray’s stead with a sprained ankle. Abreu has managed a solid 3.57 ERA on the year, albeit with a worrying 11 walks in just over seven innings of action.
  • The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly rolled out a cavalcade of positive health updates on ailing Giants players today. Notably, injured infielders Evan Longoria and Tommy La Stella will join recovering outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. on a rehab assignment in Triple-A. Outfielders Joc Pederson and Mike Yastrzemski are nearing full-time returns as well after a right adductor strain and positive COVID test interrupted their respective seasons. Right-handed starter Anthony DeSclafani has also made progress in his recovery from the right ankle inflammation that recently landed him on the IL. Healthy returns from the listed players would be a boon for the club, who currently have several regulars out for COVID-related reasons. Despite sporting an IL that is more recognizable than the starting lineup, the Giants haven’t missed a beat from last season. The team is currently a half game out of first in the NL West, behind the Dodgers and Padres, with a top-3 bullpen and offense that only figures to get deeper in the next few days.

MLB Suspends Mets’ Yoan Lopez For Three Games

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Major League Baseball announced this evening that Mets reliever Yoan López has been suspended for three games and fined an undisclosed amount for “intentionally throwing pitches at Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies during the top of the ninth inning of Sunday night’s game at Citi Field.” As is typical practice, New York manager Buck Showalter received a one-game suspension for López’s actions.

The Mets optioned López to Triple-A Syracuse today. His suspension will take effect whenever he’s recalled, although he has the right to appeal. Showalter does not have an appellate right, and he’ll miss tonight’s game against the Braves as a result. Bench coach Glenn Sherlock will be the acting manager for tonight’s game, tweets Jon Morosi of MLB.com.

López’s first pitch to Schwarber was a fastball that missed down and in. His second offering was in virtually the same spot. López then threw three straight pitches in the strike zone, and Schwarber eventually grounded out. No one was ejected, although home plate umpire Jerry Meals did issue warnings. Earlier in the game, Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor had been plunked by Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sánchez. López later hit Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm.

It’s the second time in as many weeks López has been at the center of controversy. He threw a pitch up-and-in to Cardinals star Nolan Arenado during a game on Wednesday. Arenado started yelling back, and the benches cleared. Arenado and St. Louis reliever Genésis Cabrera wound up serving one-game suspensions for their roles in that incident; López was fined but not suspended.

Mets’ Sean Reid-Foley Placed On IL With Partial UCL Tear

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The Mets have informed reporters, including Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, that right-handed pitcher Sean Reid-Foley has been diagnosed with a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He left last night’s game with discomfort in that elbow. The club hasn’t specified the next course of action, though Tommy John surgery is an option. Even if Reid-Foley doesn’t require surgery, the non-surgical options for a partial UCL tear require lengthy absences. Reid-Foley was placed on the injured list with righty Yoan Lopez being recalled to take his spot on the active roster.

A second round draft pick of the Blue Jays, Reid-Foley was one of the three players that went from the Jays to the Mets in the Steven Matz trade. He was considered the #75 prospect in the game by Baseball America in 2017, but slid off the list in subsequent years. Between the two clubs, he’s appeared in each of the past five seasons, but thrown only 102 1/3 career innings. In that time, he has a 4.66 ERA, with a 23.6% strikeout rate and 13.7% walk rate.

Reid-Foley and the Mets will now try to figure out the next steps, but he’s not likely to return soon regardless. For example, Nationals’ hurler Joe Ross was diagnosed with a partial UCL tear in August of last year. He ultimately did not undergo surgery, but still hasn’t made it back off the injured list. Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com provided an update today, that Ross will soon start throwing to live hitters. However, the Nats placed him on the 60-day IL to begin the season, indicating they don’t anticipate him returning before June, ultimately amounting to an absence of nearly a year, despite avoiding surgery.

Reid-Foley had one year and 93 days of MLB service time going into this season, meaning he won’t qualify for arbitration until after the 2023 campaign, at the earliest. There’d be almost no cost for the Mets to just hold onto him even if he requires a lengthy rehab process. He can be moved to the 60-day IL at some point and therefore won’t require a roster spot, but the 60-day IL goes away in the offseason, meaning he could have a tenuous hold on his roster spot at that point if he hasn’t returned to health.

Mets Activate Taijuan Walker From 10-Day Injured List

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Taijuan Walker is set to make his return from the 10-day injured list, as the righty is the Mets’ scheduled starter tonight against the Phillies.  In advance of Walker’s activation, righty Yoan Lopez was optioned to Triple-A to create an open spot on the active roster.

Walker only tossed two innings in his first start of the season (on April 11) before leaving the game with shoulder inflammation.  The injury was later diagnosed as right shoulder bursitis, as Walker was placed on the IL the next day.  Fortunately, the issue wasn’t serious enough for Walker to miss too much time, which is a particular relief in Walker’s case given how he also battled some shoulder problems in 2019 while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

2022 is a big season for Walker, who can enter free agency this winter if (as expected) he declines his $6MM player option with the Mets for the 2023 season.  Walker will receive a $3MM buyout if he does opt out, so for the sake of an extra $3MM, it is exceedingly likely that he’ll return to the open market in search of a much pricier multi-year deal.  Walker had a roller-coaster of a 2021 season, as his excellent first half earned him his first career All-Star appearance, but he posted an ugly 7.13 ERA in 64 1/3 innings after the Midsummer Classic.

Walker returns to a red-hot Mets team that has been getting great production from its entire rotation.  Getting Walker back in the mix is the proverbial nice problem to have for the Amazins, and the rotation will be further bolstered later this season whenever Jacob deGrom is able to return from the injured list.

MLB Suspends Arenado, Cabrera For Role In Bench-Clearing Incident

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6:27pm: Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat tweets that Arenado is continuing with his pre-game routine, indicating he’s appealing his suspension. The Cards announced that Cabrera has accepted his suspension and will serve it tonight; he’d likely not have been available anyhow after throwing 29 pitches yesterday.

6:15pm: Major League Baseball announced this evening that Cardinals star third baseman Nolan Arenado and reliever Génesis Cabrera have each been suspended for their roles in yesterday’s bench-clearing incident with the Mets at Busch Stadium. Arenado was suspended for two games, while Cabrera received a one-game ban. Arenado and Cabrera are set to serve their suspensions beginning with tonight’s game against the D-Backs, although each player could delay that by appealing. It isn’t yet clear whether either plans to do so.

Arenado took exception to a first-pitch fastball from Mets’ reliever Yoan López that sailed up-and-in. He and López began jawing and the dugouts and bullpens emptied, with the teams coming together at home plate.  That came a half-inning after Cabrera hit J.D. Davis on the foot with an offering. Arenado and St. Louis first base coach Stubby Clapp were ejected for their roles in the scrum. (Cabrera was suspended “for his actions during the incident,” not because the league determined he’d thrown at Davis intentionally).

No Mets were ejected or suspended. López was handed an undisclosed fine for contributing to the benches clearing. St. Louis starter Jack Flaherty and Mets starter Taijuan Walker were each hit with fines for participating in the argument while on the injured list.

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