The Diablos Rojos of the Mexican League announced that they have signed Robinson Canó, as relayed by Enrique Rojas of ESPN.
Canó, now 41, has a lengthy list of accomplishments in his big league career, though his legacy is also burdened with a couple of suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs. After thriving in the early parts of his career with the Yankees, he signed a 10-year, $240MM deal with the Mariners going into the 2014 season, which was tied for the third-largest contract in MLB history at that time.
He continued to perform at an All-Star level with his new club but was hit with his first PED suspension in May of 2018, an 80-game penalty for testing positive for furosemide. He returned to the M’s later in that season but was traded to the Mets the following winter, going to Queens alongside Edwin Díaz with a five-player package going back to Seattle.
Canó had a bit of a down year in 2019 and then a huge bounceback in 2020 but received his second suspension in November of the latter year. Due to a positive test for Stanozolol, he was given a 162-game suspension, wiping out his entire 2021 campaign. He returned in 2022 but ended up bouncing around the league. He was released by the Mets after playing in just 12 games then signed with the Padres. He got into another dozen contests with that club before getting released again, then returned to the Friars on a minor league deal before getting traded to Atlanta for cash. Atlanta selected his contract but let him go after nine games.
He has been a free agent since August of 2022. His mega contract ran through 2023, meaning he could have been signed for the league minimum last year with the Mets on the hook for the remainder, but no club decided to do so. That’s not terribly surprising, considering his age, the suspensions and his .150/.183/.190 slash line in limited playing time in 2022. He hasn’t been totally out of action, as he has been playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic in the past two winters and also played for the DR team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
It seems his desire to play remains and he’ll be joining the Diablos Rojos for 2024. His MLB track record consists of 2,267 games with 2,639 hits, including 335 home runs. He won the World Series with the Yanks in 2009 and has eight All-Star games, five Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves on his résumé. Like many other players connected to PEDs over the years, the framing of his accolades will be contested for years to come.
Changing of the guard: Ichiro Cano comes up from Mexico, Robinson Cano goes down to Mexico.
You thought you cooked here
Nah, he was just making a timely reference since Ichiro Cano signed in February.
It seems you thought you cooked here.
Ichiro Cano is not a real person
Hey my screen name lives on! 🙂
Cano
Muted (needlesly negative screen name).
Thank you for announcing this, would’ve been personally hurt if you muted him and hadn’t made me aware.
March 2024 is already the best month so far this year.
At this point he is playing for love of the game, he doesn’t need the money, he will have fun play in Mexico and in the Dominican in the winter leagues until he finally decides to retire.
Let’s hope he doesn’t need the money…
Most of these guys don’t need money. They miss the women, escaping parenting duty and the life of a pro ball player.
TJ – True, but some like Cano and Manny are motivated to prove they are good without the roids.
Rich people need money more than anyone.
He just came back from the united league in Saudi Arabia or the UAE or somewhere in that area. He Andy simmonds, big sexy and a few other big names played last year
I believe it was dubai
What were they all doing there?
United Baseball League is an old Indy league. The Saudi joke of a league is Baseball United.
Makes sense Simmons would join the Saudi league based on the fact he’s a complete moron. He loves his 9/11 conspiracies, flat earth theory, and 5G cancer connection.
It’s a shame because I liked him. Never meet your “heroes”, Nadezhda von Meck was right.
Baseball United is based in the UAE.
You’re right. My bad. I confused it with the LIV golf tour. But, my thoughts don’t change on Simmons.
*don’t change on Simmons.
Mexican league test for PEDs ?
Wow, i didn’t see this coming. Can anyone answer, what was his cap hit in 2023? I assume it was all on the Mets CBT tab.
20m on the Mets, 4m on the Mariners.
The Wilpons cheapness was on full display with the Cano deal, when knowing they were selling the team the Wilpons persuaded the M’s to give them $5m of the $20m defraying of Cano’s remaining $120m salary in the first year, spreading out the remaining $15m over the next four years at $3.75m a year. Get that cash while you can!
The whole deal included the Wilpons selling off Mets minor league talent for cash, without appearing to be selling off Mets minor league talent for cash. They were always pigs at the trough. They remain pigs at the trough.
Thanks for the info, jack strawb. So the Mets will be closer to getting under the CBT highest level for 2025. Maybe not the $237M first level, but the highest level. Cano off the books now. McCann off the books next year. Darin Ruf’s buyout of $250K gone next year. Scherzer too. Verlander, maybe not. Maybe even Bobby Bonilla in my lifetime. Somehow I feel like the 2024-25 Mets fans will feel like the Dodgers fans of 2035-45. LOL.
Hey, ELV. The good news is that the Mets as they’re currently constructed are well under the first LT threshold of $243m for 2025. Their 2025 payroll is at $171m, not counting arb players—and they don’t have any big arb awards coming. Maybe $10m-20m depending on which way they go.
If you like, try Roster Resource for the Mets at fangraphs, and go to “Payroll” once you’re in the Mets section. I won’t leave the link since MLBTR may not publish the comment.
Tbh I’ll take the Dodgers down the road if my team can do what they’re likely to do in the next five years.
Cheers!
You said it Jack; spot on!
That’s padres legend Robinson Cano.
Impressively was not suspended for steroids during Padres tenure.
Well it was only 20 days so time really wasn’t on his side
Guessing they don’t test for PED’s there
We’ll, there are rules against not taking PEDs.
I can’t wait ’til they play Los Pollos Hermanos.
I hear their team owner is pretty good with a box cutter…
“I hear their team owner”…I don’t even get the reference or the joke, but for some reason it made me laugh.
One of the better stories of recent. They should see what votto is up too next
He will have to deal with the Narcos, ♂️
It’s not a good decision to be playing in Mexico!
Fine line between use and abuse am I right?
7th best 2B man in the entire history of the MLB based on JAWS. and a wRC+ of 124.. Just below scrubs that were snuck into the HOF like:
Rogers Hornsby: wRC+ 170
Eddie Collins: wRC+: 144
Nap Lajoie wRC+ 144
Joe Morgan: 135
Charlie Gehringer: 124
Rod Carew: 132
I look forward to this legendary player being enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
PEDs have done him in. He has no shot at the HOF just for that.
@cbraves
I know. I was poking fun. I thought when I said those guys were scrubs that somehow were allowed into the HOF that it would have come off as sarcasm.
I’m still waiting for Horace Clarke to get in the HOF……….
Yeah baby! Put Jake Gibbs in there too!
Yorkie, you can NEVER underestimate the IQ of your average MLBTR reader, dear Lord! Ahahaha!
In my opinion he should be enshrined in the Hall of Shame!
From what I remember he lied to Mets management that his PED suspension in Seattle was a mistake and promised Mets fans it would not happen again then laughing all the way to the bank; correct me if I am wrong?
His play off PEDs shows he doesn’t belong as his numbers were inflated.
I thought the same about you in 2019
It’s a shame that Cano cheated by taking PEDs and pissed away a HOF career.
And he never learned his lesson. Didn’t he test twice for PEDs? And not far from each failed test.
You’re right. Pissing into a cup did it for him.
Or did he build a HOF career through PEDs? Hard to know.
Surely PEDs came first. He was a twig in AA ball. Like so many others, his MLB career took flight with Juice.
How do we know he’d have been a HOFer had he been clean? Like people saying Barry Bonds was a HOFer until his stats became bloated. Cano (and Bonds) could have been cheating all along.
Right on I M Insane. And Ortiz.
Bonds started the min he flaked on Pittsburgh
Flaked? You and Curt Flood aint friendly huh?
Hard to say, but if Bonds was clean in Pittsburgh (just a thought) for his first six years, he would have strolled in.
Heck, just based on his first 4 seasons he was a GG-caliber OFer averaging 6 WAR per season, who got started at age 21. He was an extraordinary player.
Bonds would’ve easily been a HOF player if he had never taken steroids.
I’d be surprised if Cano cheated his entire career and only got caught in 2018 unless he went through great lengths to conceal the substances he was taking
Can we PLEASE stop talking about that issue
No listen to yourself. You made a mistake in life and some Mr Expert on line who knows nothing about you keeps bringing it up over and over and over and over and over – am I getting on your nerves yet – GOOD! so you get the point expert
Hey Buff made a mistake? When in my opinion he cheated teams for millions of dollars? Did he give it back after he was caught? Nope
Well technically he didn’t get paid during his suspension so he did in fact give it back.
How ciome Baltimore didn’t sign him. They’ve picked up every other fringe infielder out there 😉
Haha. You got me on Schoop and Baez!
Not ethical standards right? I don’t think any time really clears that bar when it comes to PEDs.
Sammy Sosa, Miguel Tejada, Brian Roberts, Larry Bigbie, Rafael Palmiero, Brady Anderson. etc. ♂️
I do love the way they run their organization now, though. The Pirates, Rockies, and Marlins should be taking notes.
*team (not time)
Just wants to be closer to his dealer.
How do you not mention his time in Baseball United here?
StanozoLOL
Neato
The speed of a 21 year old Billy Hamilton combined with the defense of a 24 year old Kevin Kiermaier combined with the power of a 28 year old Albert Pujols and the hustle of a 29 year old Peter Rose.
In other words, 1 of the most underrated players in mlb history
Judging by the fact that he was signed to a contract, it’s obviously not time yet.
No PED testing I’m guessing..
Hey my screen name lives on!
Thanks Robbie 🙂
Say it ain’t so Cano!
Cano should just make his own team in the Mexican League, they can be called Los Hormones. Voodoo, brujeria, juju witch doctors, and PEDs are welcome!
acoss
“Voodoo, brujeria, juju witch doctors”
It’s statistically probable that you believe in the Christian god myth.
filihok,
I wanted to incorporate as many religious views as possible, but I chose those as a joke from Major League the movie since one of the players in the movie, was very superstitious haha
Do not say anything negative about Cano or UbaldoJimenez poster will get triggered and call you the R word.
The man still wants to play. Nothing wrong with that.
Yeah, he can share his doping techniques with the young players, and go out for a round of Dos Equis.
Maybe Nelson Cruz can come by with some PED advice, teach the Mexican ballplayers how to juice the eyes for better bat speed while having quesadillas and tacos for lunch!
This is a joke, please no one get offoffended.
When you run on PEDs, there’s a lot wrong with that.
I can hear it now. “Now coming to the plate for the Red Fighting Chickens number 24 Robinson Cano!”
I understand PEDs putting a blemish on a power hitters stats but Cano was an all around batter. He hit for power and average. PEDs will never give you more ability to hit a MLB slider or curveball. It’s too bad he chose to use them though. Had he not lost that season and a half to suspension he would have had a solid shot at 3000 hits and a first ballot selection to the Hall. Now the only way he gets in is when he buys a ticket like the rest of us dreamers. He has the PEDs, had a reputation as a selfish player, and was known to have a bad attitude in general. One of the few stars the Yankees let walk and I don’t remember many Yankee fans caring at all.
I cared when they replaced him with Kelly Johnson and Stephen Drew
Once he got called out for PEDs, his career took a nosedive.
He will be fine with some South of the border juice in his system. Won’t even need advice from Onterrio Smith.
I am against the PED’s. But it doesn’t take away he was a better than average player
Wasn’t doing so spiffy after more intense scrutiny over getting caught w/banned substances in his body … twice. Why did he take PEDs then ? Cause they work.