Future Hall of Famer designated for assignment, unlikely to return to New York Mets lineup
The New York Mets have designated Robinson Canó for assignment. This means that Canó has been removed from the active lineup, and the team now has seven days to either return him to the lineup, trade him, release him or send him down to the minors. As such, Cano's time with the Mets may have come to an end.
It seems unlikely that a player of Robinson Canó's pedigree would be willing to play in the minors, especially given the money he is owed, regardless of whether or not he plays. Robinson Canó is an eight-time All-Star, two-time Golden Glove winner, and a World Series champion. However, the former star of the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners has struggled in 2022, leading to this predicament for the New York Mets.
The team announced the move for Robinson Canó on their official Twitter account:
RHP Yoan López has been optioned to Triple-A following last night’s game and today infielder Robinson Canó has been designated for assignment, bringing the roster to 26 players.
"RHP Yoan López has been optioned to Triple-A following last night’s game and today infielder Robinson Canó has been designated for assignment, bringing the roster to 26 players" -@Mets
The contractual difficulties made it unclear if the team would put up with Robinson Canó's lackluster performance. But with this latest update, it is clear that the team values winning above all.
New York Mets on the hook for majority of Robinson Canó's contract
Robinson Canó signed a fully guaranteed $240 million contract with the Seattle Mariners in 2014. He is set to receive another $40.5 million from the New York Mets after they traded for the star second baseman in 2019. At the time of the trade, many thought the Seattle Mariners got fleeced in the deal but time has proven them right.
The New York Mets are one of the best teams in baseball right now, despite Robinson Canó, and not because of him. In 2022, Robinson Canó has a subpar Batting Average of .195 and a poor on-base percentage of .233. These numbers wouldn't be acceptable for a player making $5 million a year, let alone $24 million.
Ken Rosenthal reported via a tweet that the team would be required to pay out most of the money remaining on his contract.
Canó DFA’d. Mets at start of season owed him $40.5M in 2022-23. On the hook for vast majority of that. twitter.com/Mets/status/15…
"Canó DFA’d. Mets at start of season owed him $40.5M in 2022-23. On the hook for vast majority of that" -@Ken_Rosenthal
Nobody expected this sharp downturn from Robinson Canó, but his time in the MLB might be coming to an end, with the New York Mets likely moving on from him after a terrible start to the 2022 season.