NEW YORK — A decision that seemed inevitable finally occurred on Monday morning, when the Mets designated for assignment struggling veteran Robinson Canó.
Cutting loose Canó allowed the Mets to keep Dominic Smith, Luis Guillorme and J.D. Davis on their roster. Canó was batting just .195/.233/.268 in 43 plate appearances. The Mets also optioned reliever Yoan López to Triple-A Syracuse.
Canó came to the Mets along with closer Edwin Díaz in a Dec. 2018 trade — the first significant transaction of Brodie Van Wagenen’s tenure as general manager. Given Canó’s advanced age at the time — he was entering his age-36 season — the deal was met with a heavy dose of skepticism. It became even less popular as Canó struggled in 2019 and, two years later, received a full-season suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s performance-enhancing drug policy.
Still, Canó’s inclusion on the Mets’ Opening Day roster was never in doubt, in part because MLB rules stipulated that teams could carry 28 players for the month of April. The deadline to slim rosters to 26 was 12 p.m. ET on Monday, forcing the team’s decision. The Mets could have optioned Smith, Guillorme or Davis to the Minors, giving them more time to evaluate Canó. Instead, they chose to designate Canó for assignment and eat the majority of the $40.5 million they owe him through 2023.
So ends the rocky tenure of Canó, who was on a Hall of Fame arc before testing positive for PEDs a first time with the Mariners in 2018. A second positive test with the Mets likely destroyed any remaining chance Canó might have had to enter Cooperstown, despite his career .302/.352/.490 slash line with 335 homers, 571 doubles and 1,305 RBIs. Canó remains best known for his nine seasons with the Yankees, which included five All-Star appearances and a World Series title in 2009.
The Mets technically have seven days to trade Canó or place him on outright waivers. A trade is not a realistic option given how much money remains on his contract. Canó also has the ability to reject an outright assignment, making his eventual release the most likely outcome. At that point, any team could sign Canó for the MLB minimum, with the Mets paying off the rest of his salary.