Review of the Robinson Cano Trade

The Mets recently made a trade for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz. In exchange for Cano and Diaz, the Mets traded Jay Bruce, Anthony Swarzak, along with prospects Jarred Kelenic, Justin Dunn and Gerson Bautista. The Mets received 20 million dollars off Cano’s contract, and they completely unload Swarzak and Bruce’s contracts.

From the Mets’ perspective, this fills two of their holes right away. Diaz is coming off a phenomenal 2018 and will likely be their closer in 2019. The Mets had one of the worst, if not the worst, bullpen in baseball in 2018. They need someone dominant in their bullpen and Diaz is that guy. He’s under control for several years and should be able to provide stability in the Mets bullpen for years to come. Along with Diaz, Cano should provide a middle of the lineup bat. Cano has been a reliable hitter in his career, with a career OPS of .848. He’s played at least 150 games in 11 out of the last 12 years, showing that he can stay on the field. His defense is fine enough, but a move to first base may be needed in the later years of his contract. The problem with Cano is that he’s going into his age 36 season with 5 years left on his contract. This likely means that the Mets will have to deal with 2 or 3 years where Cano is dead weight. His contract is terrible although it was lessened by the fact that the Mets gained 60 million in the deal.

The main return in the deal was Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn. Jarred Kelenic was the Mets first-round draft in 2018. Regarded as the best pure hitter in the draft, the Mets may be losing a really good hitter. He’s considered to have really high potential and could be a star in the future. Dunn was the Mets first-round draft pick in 2016. After struggling massively in 2017, Dunn rebounded in 2018. He has 3 solid pitches and could be a reliable starter in the future.

For the Mets, this seems like a bit of an overpay. The Mariners seemed desperate to trade Cano. Cano had a no-trade clause, meaning that he could reject any trade that he was a part of. He reportedly would waive that no-trade clause to come to New York, and since the Yankees didn’t want him, that left the Mets to trade Cano too. Considering this, the Mets could have done better in the deal. If the Mets agreed to take a little extra money in the deal, they probably could have excluded Dunn or Kelenic from the deal.

For the Mariners, this was a good and needed deal. This solidifies their rebuild and helps them build for the future. They received two good prospects, along with money, in exchange for Diaz and Cano. While their 2019 team is likely going to suffer, they start a much-needed rebuilding process.