The Mets made the wrong move with Robinson Cano
New York Mets pinch hitter Robinson Cano returns to the dugout after he grounded out against the San Francisco Giants during the eighth inning of an MLB baseball game at Citi Field on Wednesday, April 20, 2022. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
There has been so little for Mets fans to grumble about this year that it’s easy to understand why Robinson Cano became a negative flashpoint in the first month of the season.
With the roster having to be reduced from 28 to 26 on Monday, it’s also easy to understand why the Mets decided to designate Cano for assignment.
An easy-to-understand decision. Also, the wrong decision.
Cano is an asset — yes, a devalued one, but still an asset. The $37 million or so the Mets owe him for the rest of this year and next already was a sunk cost, so that shouldn’t be a factor. And Steve Cohen didn’t need to agree to eat that money just to prove he’s not Fred Wilpon. Cohen already has won that battle.
The best way to handle a roster crunch is to make a move that keeps all your assets in the organization, if possible. So you send a player with options to the minors, and that keeps all your assets available should you need them later in the season.
Recent talk centered around sending down Dominic Smith, who put that notion to bed with four hits on Sunday night.
The other candidates were J.D. Davis, the only righthanded bat off the bench, and backup infielder Luis Guillorme.
(Stony Brook University product Travis Jankowski, whom the Mets enjoy employing as a backup outfielder and pinch runner, must pass through waivers before he can be sent down.)
It’s a tough call, but the Mets should have kept Cano and optioned Guillorme.
Before you hit the send button on that email, let me attempt to pre-rebut your arguments:
“Cano’s washed up!”
Really? You can tell that after 43 sporadic plate appearances? Yes, he hit .195 and looked like a shell of his former All-Star self. But this is a guy who, in his last regular action in 2020, hit .316 with an .896 OPS in 49 games.
Here’s what one longtime National League scout said Monday under condition of anonymity: “He looked old and rusty. Not the same guy. It’s a shame.”
Here’s what another longtime talent evaluator said: “I don’t think it’s over for Robbie. Robbie’s going to continue to play. He’s going to get an opportunity and he’s going to probably contribute. I fully expect that.”
The second speaker was Mets manager Buck Showalter. Maybe he was just being polite. Maybe not.
“We have no room in the lineup for him anyway!”
Today, the Mets don’t. But do you remember last season when the starting outfield was Cameron Maybin, Johneshwy Fargas and Khalil Lee? Injuries happen. Positive COVID-19 tests happen. That’s why you keep all your assets: for a rainy day.
“If we send down Guillorme, we don’t have a backup shortstop.”
Eduardo Escobar has played 329 games and started 282 at shortstop in his career. It’s not ideal, but he could fill in in a pinch. This is an organization that won 108 games and a World Series in 1986 with Kevin Mitchell and Howard Johnson starting a combined 42 games at shortstop. Also, if someone tweaks a hammy and has to go on the injured list, Guillorme could be recalled before the mandatory 10 days he would be required to stay down.
Someone always eventually tweaks a hammy.
“All that stuff about Cano being a respected leader in the clubhouse is bunk.”
You and I don’t have to understand it, considering his PED past, but it’s a true thing. That’s why it was interesting to hear Francisco Lindor say on Sunday that he “wouldn’t be happy” if Cano got cut. After Monday night’s 5-2 loss to Atlanta, Lindor said: “I’m sad. I didn’t want to see him go. But I respect the team’s decision. Great guy, great teammate.”
The Mets’ season is not going to rise or fall based on the decision to cut Cano. But there were ways to keep him. He’s an asset. You don’t throw away an asset for nothing if you don’t have to.
Even a diminished Cano could have had meaningful hits for the Mets in 2022. Now there’s a chance he can make that impact for another team, perhaps one of the Mets’ National League competitors. Why set up that scenario if there’s another option?
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
