Baseball crime pays since Robinson Cano will obtain the roughly $44.6 million he's owed from now by means of subsequent season — a few of it paid by the Mariners, most of it by the Mets.
However Cano’s involvement with unlawful efficiency enhancers has include a worth. It value him a 12 months and a half in pay or about $36 million for 2 suspensions. It nearly actually value him a shot on the Corridor of Fame. It value him his popularity, no less than exterior clubhouses. Now it's costing him employment — and maybe will contribute to ending his profession.
The Mets wanted a roster spot on Monday and determined they'd quite pay Cano about $37.6 million to not play for them quite than optioning J.D. Davis, Luis Guillorme or Dom Smith, or releasing Travis Jankowski. Throughout most of Cano’s profession, it will have been laughable to incorporate these names in the identical sentence with him. On Monday — with this post-suspension model of Cano — it felt like the right name.
The Mets, with an proprietor who can tolerate a major monetary hit, decided the jigsaw puzzle match higher for a win-now staff with out Cano. Now, will some other staff tackle a 39-year-old, two-time PED loser off to a poor begin? If not, then final Friday’s recreation will likely be remembered as momentous for greater than the five-pitcher mixed no-hitter towards the Phillies. It additionally would signify Cano’s ultimate main league recreation.
Clearly, the monetary value is so little (actually the prorated minimal) that at a contender struggling on offense and/or with positional harm — the White Sox for instance — may herald Cano and see if it was rust from lacking all of final season that led to him hitting .195 with a .501 OPS whereas enjoying about half the Mets video games this 12 months.
The acceptance of bringing in gamers with a PED historical past comes with much less negativity than previously (see the Mets inking Starling Marte, for instance). Cano, although, is among the many most infamous, punished customers ever. Nonetheless, if signed, Cano can use the identical playbook he deployed when assembly reporters early this previous spring coaching, evading each PED-related query with normal contrition and imprecise solutions.
Brodie Van Wagenen, who negotiated the 10-year, $240 million cope with Seattle that Cano continues to be working beneath, introduced him to the Mets as their GM and now represents Cano once more, mentioned that when and if Cano clears the designated for task part that “Robbie completely nonetheless desires to play. Given the precise scenario, he can nonetheless make a significant contribution for a staff.”
Van Wagenen mentioned Cano didn't maintain animus towards the Mets, understanding “the powerful choice” that got here with the obligatory discount from 28 to 26 gamers on Monday. In fact, this is able to not have been a tricky name if Cano had been hitting like Cano. You don’t defend Luis Guillorme or Travis Jankowski in that scenario, regardless of how priceless Buck Showalter would possibly see them in bench roles. Cano spent most of his profession as among the many biggest hitting second basemen ever.
Cano really had inspired the Mets by swinging nicely in winter ball and spring coaching. However erratic play and regular-season pitching undid him. His stats plummeted and that stunning clean, balanced swing was much less constant. In spring, as a part of his evasive press convention, Cano wouldn't even say he would cease utilizing steroids. However, assuming he's clear, is it potential that Cano has misplaced not simply the bodily advantages of the medicine, but additionally confidence to carry out with out unlawful assist?
When requested why he nonetheless believes in Cano, Van Wagenen mentioned, “His physique feels nice. He had expertise in winter ball. He gained a whole lot of confidence throughout spring coaching. He believes his abilities are nonetheless at a degree that he may also help a staff win. He’s been adjusting to the brand new function as a complementary piece and believes he'll enhance in that function if he will get that chance going ahead.”
The Mets confronted a considerably comparable scenario in 2019. Travis d’Arnaud had missed a lot of the 2018 season after needing Tommy John surgical procedure. He acquired sporadic at-bats in April 2019 (Van Wagenen was the GM) and was launched on Could 3. He finally wound up with the 96-win Rays as a priceless participant, demonstrating the Mets had not given him each sufficient time and enjoying time to knock off the rust. However he was 30.
Albert Pujols was 41 final 12 months and within the ultimate season of the identical 10-year, $240 million pact when he misplaced enjoying time with the Angels and was finally launched on Could 13 with wonder if that marked the tip of his profession. Pujols ended up being a priceless function participant for the 106-win Dodgers and signed this 12 months to return to the Cardinals.
However there additionally was the Yankees releasing Cano’s former teammate and mentor Alex Rodriguez in August 2016 with $27 million-ish nonetheless owed him — and A-Rod by no means performed once more regardless of having yet another 12 months left on his contract, as Cano has now.
Cano will likely be paid that $24 million in 2023 ($20.25 million of it from the Mets) no matter whether or not he ever performs once more. His malfeasance didn't value him that. Nevertheless it did value him.
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