The Padres are set to pick out the contract of outfielder Nomar Mazara, tweets Robert Murray of FanSided. The previous Rangers prime prospect-turned-journeyman inked a minor league pact with San Diego over the winter. The transfer comes along side the “imminent” launch of floundering second baseman/designated hitter Robinson Cano, per Dennis Lin of The Athletic (Twitter link). Murray and Jon Heyman of the New York Put up reported last night that Cano was more likely to decide totally free company after declining to be optioned to Triple-A (as any participant with five-plus years of Main League service can do). Whether or not he’ll be formally launched or elect free company is basically a moot level; the end result is similar.
Mazara, now 27 years previous, by no means developed into the perennial power-hitting risk many anticipated when he was a consensus top-100 prospect in 2015-16. He confirmed loads of promise when he swatted 20 dwelling runs as a 21-year-old rookie with the Rangers in 2016, however Mazara was basically a league-average hitter with below-average offense for the primary 4 years of his profession in Texas.
A commerce to the White Sox produced dismal outcomes, as he hit simply .228/.295/.294 in 42 video games with Chicago the next season. Mazara signed with the Tigers after being non-tendered by the Sox, however he hit simply .212/.276/.321 in 50 video games with Detroit final season.
All in all, Mazara has been about 12% worse than league-average with the bat in his huge league profession, by measure of wRC+, however he’s having a monster season in Triple-A. By way of his first 152 plate appearances this season, Mazara is hitting .367/.454/.641 with seven homers, 14 doubles, an enormous 13.8% stroll charge and a lower-than-average 19.1% strikeout charge.
Cano’s time with the Padres will show to be transient, as he solely signed with San Diego on Might 13. Nevertheless, the Padres’ hopes that the eight-time All-Star might proper the ship following a .195/.233/.268 exhibiting with the Mets didn’t pan out. Fairly the alternative, in reality, as Cano turned in a calamitous .091/.118/.091 output in 34 plate appearances. Total, Cano has gone 3-for-33 (all singles) with one stroll and 10 strikeouts in a Padres uniform.
The swan dive in Cano’s manufacturing comes on the heels of a season-long absence in 2021 because of the second optimistic PED take a look at of his 17-year Main League profession. On condition that context and the truth that he’ll flip 40 in October, it’s maybe not a lot of a shock that Cano has struggled in 2022, though the extent of his woes on the plate are nonetheless jarring.
As soon as Cano turns into a free agent, he’ll be free to signal with any membership that has curiosity, although it’s troublesome to fathom one other staff placing him straight on the large league roster. Ought to Cano want to proceed enjoying, he’d probably need to ink a minor league deal, however his obvious refusal to just accept an task to Triple-A El Paso with the Padres calls into query whether or not he’ll be keen to go that route. The Mets nonetheless owe Cano $21.25MM for the 2023 season, whereas the Mariners (who initially signed him a decade-long, $240MM contract previous to the 2014 season) are kicking in $3.75MM as a part of the commerce that shipped him from Seattle to Queens.
