Mets Release Robinson Cano
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.
Phillies Place Zach Eflin, Zack Wheeler On Covid List
10:00am: Phillies manager Joe Girardi has told reporters, including Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, that Zack Wheeler is also going on the Covid list. The club will now be doubly challenged to get through their next stretch of games with their rotation down two key members. Todd Zolecki of MLB.com adds that Connor Brogdon will be taking Wheeler’s spot on the roster.
9:00 am: The Phillies have announced that right-hander Zach Eflin has been placed on the Covid-related injured list. Fellow righty Francisco Morales has been recalled to take his place on the roster. Additionally, with the club playing a doubleheader today, left-hander Cristopher Sanchez will be up with the club as the team’s 27th man.
Players can be placed on the Covid list if they test positive, are exhibiting symptoms or due to contact tracing measures. The club hasn’t provided further information about which of these applies to Eflin. Under the league’s 2022 health-and-safety protocols, players who test positive are subject to a 10-day absence from the club, though it’s possible to be reinstated in less time if the player has gone 24 or more hours without a fever, received a pair of negative PCR tests, and been given approval from a team physician and the MLB/MLBPA joint committee (a panel of one league-appointed and one union-appointed physician). Players who are experiencing symptoms but do not test positive can return in shorter order if their symptoms abate.
The Phillies were rained out both yesterday and Friday, meaning their pitching staff should be fairly rested, but also that they are playing a doubleheader today. They will then be traveling out west to play three games against the Mariners and four against the Dodgers, before their next off-day on May 16th. As long as Eflin is out of action, the rotation will be down to the foursome of Aaron Nola, Kyle Gibson, Ranger Suarez and Zack Wheeler. Sanchez and Morales both have started in the minors but have been working out of their bullpen so far this year.
Gibson should be able to handle one game today, as he last started April 30. Eflin would have been in line to start the other game but will need to be replaced. Suarez last pitched on May 3, meaning he could theoretically slot in and take another game on regular rest, although the club hasn’t yet another their plans for today. In that scenario, both Gibson and Suarez would be lined up to pitch again on regular rest on Friday. Wheeler and Nola can then take the ball on Monday and Tuesday, but then the club would need a plan for both Wednesday and Thursday. Another option would be to have a bullpen day in the second game of the doubleheader today, saving Suarez for Monday and bumping Wheeler and Nola down the line. Regardless of how it plays out, the club will need to strategically maneuver through the week, unless Eflin is able to return quickly.
Yankees Place Tim Locastro On Injured List
The Yankees announced a few roster moves prior to today’s doubleheader. Outfielder Tim Locastro is going on the injured list with a left latissimus dorsi (back) strain. Right-handed pitcher Ron Marinaccio has been recalled to take his place on the active roster. Outfielder Estevan Florial will be the team’s 27th man for today’s twin bill.
The outfield mix in the Bronx is a bit crowded, with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks and Joey Gallo usually sharing the three spots on the grass as well as the designated hitter slot. As such, the speedy Locastro has been mostly coming off the bench for pinch running and defensive replacement duties. As such, he’s played 15 games this year but only made 15 plate appearances. He’s made the best of that time, hitting .231/.333/.462 for a wRC+ of 139, as well as swiping four bags.
Locastro was acquired from the Diamondbacks last year but then injured his ACL after just nine games with the Bombers. In the offseason, he was non-tendered but then re-signed after the lockout. Although the club hasn’t provided a timeline for his recovery, this injury will mark another frustrating step in his Yankees tenure.
Angels To Select Aaron Whitefield
The Angels are going to select the contract of outfielder Aaron Whitefield, according to Darren Wolfson of Skor North. A corresponding move will be required to open up a spot for Whitefield on the roster.
Whitefield, 25, was signed out of Brisbane, Australia by the Twins in 2015. His best asset has long been his speed, which he has used to provide excellent outfield defense, primarily in center, as well as stealing bases. Baseball America put him in the back half of their lists of top 30 Minnesota prospects in both 2018 and 2019.
In 2020, he was called up to the big leagues and got a three-game cup of coffee, often as a pinch runner/defensive replacement, only getting a single plate appearance. (He grounded out.) He was outrighted in August and then spent 2021 in Double-A. He hit a modest .257/.327/.353, 84 wRC+, with a 24.8% strikeout rate, 9.3% walk rate and 36 stolen bases.
He reached free agency at the end of the year and signed a minors deal with the Angels. He’s started this year with the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas and is off to a great start. In 111 plate appearances over 24 games, he’s hitting .301/.400/.538, increasing his walk rate to 14.4%. That amounts to a wRC+ of 149, or 49% better than league average. He’s also still got the wheels, notching 13 stolen bases in those 24 games.
The Angels will now add a player to their roster that comes with a high floor. As the old saying goes, speed doesn’t slump. Whitefield should be able to provide excellent speed and defense in any scenario. With his bat seemingly taking a step forward so far this year, there’s also the potential for Whitefield to be even more valuable, should he able to carry any of that up to the majors with him. The club has a solid everyday group in the outfield, with Mike Trout, Brandon Marsh and Taylor Ward all playing very well so far this season. However, with the recent demotion of Jo Adell, there’s room for Whitefield to be a fourth outfielder, coming off the bench as a pinch runner or giving any of that trio the occasional day off.
Injury Notes: Cousins, Buxton, Wendelken
The Brewers placed Jake Cousins on the 10-day injured list on May 1 with what was described as a right elbow effusion, or a build-up of fluid within the elbow. However, an MRI also revealed a “concern” with Cousins’ UCL, manager Craig Counsell told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and other reporters, and a second opinion is being sought.
It makes for a very ominous situation for the 27-year-old righty, who seemingly came out of nowhere to post a 2.70 ERA and 35.2% strikeout rate (albeit with a 15.2% walk rate) over 30 innings out of Milwaukee’s bullpen. Batters did a little more damage against Cousins this year, as he had a 4.50 ERA, 34.2% strikeout rate, and 13.2% walk rate in eight innings before heading to the injured list.
Some notes on other injury-related situations around baseball…
- Byron Buxton left today’s 1-0 Twins victory over the Athletics due to tightness in his right hip, acting manager Jayce Tingler told reporters after the game. Buxton is day-to-day with the injury, but even a seemingly minor issue has to be of concern given Buxton’s import to Minnesota’s lineup, and his long injury history. Exactly one year ago today, the Twins placed Buxton on the 10-day IL with a right hip strain that cost the outfielder six weeks of action. Buxton has a spectacular .278/.342/.722 slash line through his first 79 plate appearances of the season, adding nine homers and his usual great glovework in center field.
- Diamondbacks right-hander J.B. Wendelken was reinstated from the COVID-related injured list, with righty Luis Frias heading to Triple-A in the corresponding move. Wendelken has been out since April 28 due to a positive COVID-19 test. Since the D’Backs claimed Wendelken off waivers from the A’s last August, the righty has a 4.33 ERA over 27 innings in an Arizona uniform, though with only a 15.31% strikeout rate.
Padres Place Tim Hill On 15-Day Injured List
The Padres announced that left-hander Tim Hill has been placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to May 5) due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Lefty Ray Kerr has been called up from Triple-A to take Hill’s place in San Diego’s bullpen.
Hill has been far from his usual effective self, posting an 11.12 ERA over his first 5 2/3 innings out of the Padres’ bullpen. While Hill hasn’t allowed a run in six of his nine appearances, he has only one strikeout against three walks. Always more of a grounder specialist than a strikeout artist, Hill has been hurt by a lack of whiffs and a lot of his allowed contact finding holes — Hill has an ungainly. 440 BABIP thus far.
Closer Taylor Rogers is the only other left-hander in the Padres relief corps, so another southpaw was needed in Hill’s absence. Kerr is an undrafted free agent who has worked his way up the Mariners and Padres farm systems to make his MLB debut earlier this season, and after tossing a scoreless inning in his sole big league game, Kerr could now get more opportunities to impress. San Diego acquired Kerr from the Mariners as part of the Adam Frazier trade last November.
Red Sox Sign Carlos Martinez To Minor League Contract
The Red Sox have signed right-hander Carlos Martinez to a minor league deal, as per Martinez’s MLB.com profile page. Martinez had been signed to a minors contract with the Giants, but San Francisco released him from that deal on April 28.
The timing could indicate an opt-out, since Martinez was one of several Article XX(B) free agents who faced a mandatory decision date of May 1 on whether or not to opt out of their minor league contracts. If the Giants let Martinez know in advance that he wasn’t going to be added to their active roster and Martinez subsequently informed the team that he would opting out, it may be that the two sides decided to part ways in advance of that May 1 deadline.
Martinez has yet to pitch this season, as he continues to recover from the thumb injury that prematurely ended his 2021 season. The thumb issue was the latest in a series of injuries (including a shoulder problem, two oblique strains, and a nasty case of COVID-19 that required hospitalization) that have set Martinez back since midway through the 2018 season. Prior to those health problems, Martinez had three years of strong work at the front of the Cardinals rotation, reaching the All-Star team in both 2015 and 2017.
While Martinez still pitched well as a reliever in 2018-19, he has only a 6.95 ERA over 102 1/3 innings (in 21 starts) since the beginning of the 2020 season. That lack of performance led the Cards to decline their $17MM club option on the righty for 2022 campaign.
The Red Sox will now see if they can manage a second act in Martinez’s career. The 30-year-old would at least seem to have some viable potential as a reliever going forward, and the Sox are certainly on the lookout for bullpen help given how their relief corps has struggled thus far in the season.
There is some irony in the signing, as Martinez originally signed with the Red Sox for $140K as a free agent out of the Dominican Republic back in 2009. That was when Martinez as known as “Carlos Matias,” but due to questions about both his name and birthdate, MLB voided the righty’s contract with Boston. Martinez had to serve a year-long suspension, but then inked a deal with the Cardinals for a $1.5MM bonus in 2010.
Marlins Place Jon Berti On Injured List, Select Joe Dunand
The Marlins have placed utilityman Jon Berti on their injured list, and selected the contract of infielder Joe Dunand from Triple-A. No specifics were given about Berti’s IL placement, and as with Brian Anderson‘s placement to Miami’s IL yesterday, it would seem like Berti’s absence is related to COVID-19.
Berti is off to a fantastic start, hitting .300/.440/.550 over his first 50 plate appearances. While Berti was roughly a league-average hitter in 2019-20, he is better known for his versatility — already this season, Berti has seen time at shortstop, left field, second base, and third base, iin addition to pinch-hitting and pinch-running work. This multi-positional skillset has made Berti a very useful bench piece over his four seasons in Miami, and allowed the Marlins at times to keep a shortened bench and add an extra arm to the bullpen.
Dunand can bring at least some of that versatility, with lots of experience as a third baseman and shortstop (and a handful of games at first base) over his five minor league seasons. For tonight’s game against the Padres, Dunand is in the starting lineup at third base, set for his MLB debut.
A second-round pick for the Marlins in the 2017 draft, Dunand hasn’t hit much in the minors, and isn’t listed as one of Miami’s top 30 prospects by either Baseball America or MLB Pipeline. A lack of offense has limited Dunand’s potential, but the 26-year-old Miami native (who is the nephew of Alex Rodriguez) has hit better at Triple-A this year, batting .255/.368/.426 over 57 PA.
Angels Place Kurt Suzuki On Injured List; Select Chad Wallach, Kyle Barraclough
The Angels announced some roster moves, including the news that catcher Kurt Suzuki has been placed on the injured list. Left-hander Jhonathan Diaz has also been optioned to Triple-A. To fill the two roster spots, the Halos have selected the contracts of catcher Chad Wallach and right-hander Kyle Barraclough from Triple-A Salt Lake.
Since no designation was given for Suzuki’s injury, it would seem like his absence is related to COVID-19, whether a positive test, or possibly Suzuki just has symptoms or a close contact. Suzuki has hit .179/.273/.282 over 44 plate appearances, splitting time behind the plate with Max Stassi for the second consecutive season in Anaheim.
Wallach will now fill that role for the time being, and after nine months in the Angels organization, Wallach is now on the verge of his first official game in a Halos uniform. The Angels selected Wallach off waivers from the Dodgers last August but he didn’t receive any big league action; he also elected to forego free agency after the Angels outrighted him off their 40-man roster back in November.
Appearing in each of the last five seasons at the MLB level, Wallach has carved out a niche for himself as a solid defensive catcher, but his lack of hitting (.207/.271/.303 over 231 career PA) has limited his playing time. Much of Wallace’s Major League career has come in a Marlins uniform, as Wallach played 72 of his 78 career games with Miami from 2018-21.
Wallach and Barraclough were teammates on that 2018 Marlins team, in what was Barrraclough’s final season in South Beach. The righty posted a 3.21 ERA over 218 2/3 innings with the Marlins from 2015-18, despite some control problems that have plagued Barraclough throughout his career. Since leaving Miami, Barraclough has also been hit hard by the home run ball, allowing 13 homers and posting a 5.59 ERA over 46 2/3 total frames with the Nationals, Giants, and Twins. Los Angeles signed Barraclough to a minors contract in January.
A’s To Place Stephen Piscotty On 10-Day Injured List
The Athletics will be placing outfielder Stephen Piscotty on the 10-day injured list due to a Grade 1 calf strain, manager Mark Kotsay told reporters (including MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos). Piscotty suffered the injury while running the bases in Friday’s game, and had to be removed in the second inning.
Due to an earlier stint on the COVID-19 list, Piscotty has played in only 14 games this season, hitting .225/.340/.325 over his 47 plate appearances. With a 105 wRC+/106 OPS+, Piscotty is one of the few batters with above-average offensive production for the struggling A’s, though the outfielder hasn’t produced much at the plate over the previous three seasons. Injuries have hampered Piscotty in that time and he’ll now make another trip to the IL, though if there is any silver lining, a Grade 1 is the least-serious type of calf strain.
The A’s will have a ready-made replacement for Piscotty in the outfield, as Ramon Laureano is eligible to be reinstated to the active roster tomorrow. Laureano was issued an 80-game PED suspension last August, so he missed the remainder of the 2021 season and the first 27 games of this season. It isn’t quite a sure thing that Laureano is activated, however, as he has only a .462 OPS over 44 PA since beginning a Triple-A rehab assignment two weeks ago — Oakland might opt to give Laureano a bit more of a tune-up period in the minors before bringing him back to Major League action.