Robinson Canó Reaches the End of the Road in Queens

Pressured to squeeze their roster right down to a 26-man restrict on Monday, the Mets determined to say goodbye to veteran second baseman Robinson Canó, designating him and the 2 years left on his contract for task. Canó, who will flip 40 this yr, struggled tremendously in 12 video games in 2021, going 8-for-41 with only a single extra-base hit, a solo homer off of Zach Davies. Whereas he may theoretically be claimed on waivers earlier than being launched, any staff including him by this route would decide to the $40 million nonetheless owed him by way of 2023, which is, let’s simply say, unlikely to occur.

The choices each to play Canó and to chop him this yr had been surprisingly straightforward. He did play very nicely the final time we noticed him, within the COVID-shortened 2020 season, hitting .316/.352/.544 with 10 homers for a 142 wRC+ and 1.3 WAR in simply 49 video games. The issue is that the final time we noticed him was 2020 thanks to a PED suspension that November, his second optimistic steroid take a look at below MLB’s drug-testing routine and one which price him your complete ’21 marketing campaign.

I wasn’t actually fearful in regards to the suspension itself; I’ve spent the final decade looking for some sort of discernible sample, short- or long-term, of over- or under-performance for the group of gamers busted for PED use and have but to seek out something truly helpful. However what did fear me was the missed time approaching the again of an artificially quick season for a 39-year-old participant enjoying a premium defensive place. Whereas Canó was fairly good in 2020, his 2019 season was by far his worst season in a very long time.

Whereas I believe it made good sense for the Mets to open the season with Canó and see what he had left, there was no explicit purpose for them to present him a really lengthy leash. Jeff McNeil is enjoying nicely, and the staff ought to roll with him beginning most video games at second. And with the necessity to reduce the roster from 28 to 26 gamers, who would have been a greater concept to chop? Luis Guillorme has been a rock-solid function participant throughout the previous few years, and even when he had been struggling, he’s the backup shortstop. Dominic Smith hasn’t had an amazing begin, however he’s contributed greater than Canó has. Optioning Tylor Megill or Drew Smith would have have been utterly absurd.

Mets proprietor Steve Cohen actually should know a sunk price when he sees one, and there’s no psychological must salvage the Canó commerce, because it was one thing this régime inherited from the Wilpons and former common supervisor Brodie Van Wagenen, not a transaction that they masterminded. The Mets anticipate to contend this yr and are in first place by three video games, so this can be a staff that should be extra fascinated by certainty fairly than chasing the prospect that Canó turns issues round.

Is Canó finished? I wouldn’t essentially shovel that final little bit of filth onto his profession fairly that shortly. Neither ZiPS (.254/.298/.393) nor Steamer (.249/.298/.385) are all that optimistic, however the margin of error right here is totally enormous. For a staff that’s truly determined at second base or a awful one that may afford to soak up such a dangerous participant, there’s nonetheless an argument for Canó as an addition to the roster. It wouldn’t be preposterous for the White Sox, for instance, to have a look provided that the mixture of Leury García and Josh Harrison has been positively dreadful at second.

Whether or not or not Canó bounces again to shut out his 10-year, $216 million contract, there’s no denying that his profession is coming to an finish. And total, it’s a tragic one, significantly given the pleasant rivalry between Canó and one other of the good second basemen of that period: Dustin Pedroia. Which participant was the higher second baseman was a hotly debated subject a decade in the past and a enjoyable a part of the same old Pink Sox-Yankees rivalry. Whereas I don’t wish to title any names, a few enormous followers I do know on Twitter spent a very long time arguing that query, regularly roping me within the dialog to settle a selected facet of the argument.

It could have been loopy to say in 2012, however I assume now that neither will make the Corridor of Fame. Knee accidents basically ended Pedroia’s career at age 33, and his counting numbers are doubtless too gentle for him to get 75% of Corridor voters on his facet. Canó’s numbers are nearer, however he’s unlikely to achieve 3,000 hits. Extra importantly, if the primary PED suspension didn’t slam the door shut in Cooperstown, the second actually did. Whereas I intend to verify Canó’s field sometime, I’m assured I’m within the minority.

Is Robinson Canó finished? Possibly, possibly not. The Mets rightly determined that they didn’t wish to be those who wanted to seek out out the reply to that query.