Brodie Van Wagenen shows his fearlessness in trade talks for Robinson Cano, Edwin Diaz
Trading for the Mariners' Robinson Cano would be a major addition to the Mets; lineup. Credit: AP/Paul Sancya
As the Mets moved closer early Friday to completing a trade for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz, at great expense to their farm system, one thing became crystal clear about new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen: he wasn’t kidding about trying to win in 2019.
Will the Mets actually be contenders this coming season? Too soon to say. More moves need to be made, and presumably Van Wagenen will have a few dollars left to do so.
What he doesn’t lack, however, is the conviction to renovate this major-league roster, just as the agent-turned-GM promised. And now that the process is underway, with Van Wagenen displaying the fearlessness to add the 36-year-old Cano, coming off a PED suspension, in order to secure one of the game’s top closers in Edwin Diaz.
While the parameters for the trade seem to be in place, it is not expected to become official Friday, according to a source. A person familiar with the negotiation confirmed the Mets are sending five players Jay Bruce, Anthony Swarzak, Jarred Kelenic, Justin Dunn and Gerson Bautista — to Seattle. The money coming to Flushing to offset Cano’s remaining $120 million through 2023 was still unclear, but break down the deal this way.
The Mets swap the $37 million due to Bruce and Swarzak, essentially dead money for them, to mitigate the salary hit for Cano, who takes over at second base as a potent middle-of-the-order bat. That leaves Van Wagenen sacrificing Kelenic and Dunn -- two recent first-rounders -- and Bautista for Diaz, who will be under team control through 2023.
Yeah, that’s a lot. And there’s a little doubt the Mets backed up the prospect truck to maximize payroll relief. But this won’t be the same old Mets — despite Cano’s advanced age and Van Wagenen clearly is being given the authority to shake things up in radical fashion.
He didn’t wait very long. The self-proclaimed Type A personality was eager to prove that his “win-now” mantra wouldn’t be just more Mets’ smoke-blowing to sell tickets over the holidays. And he found the ideal trade partner in Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto, who averages roughly 20 trades per year and was anxious to begin a rebuild in Seattle. The fact that Cano was a former client of Van Wagenen -- the agent that negotiated his 10-year, $240-million contract -- had to be an element to this perfect storm as well.
We’ll admit that getting Cano from age 36 through 41 is a risky proposition. His 80-game suspension for violating the PED policy was just last season, and these days, coincidentally, players in their late 30s typically don’t produce the eye-popping numbers they did a decade or two ago.
But packaging Cano with Diaz makes this particular dice roll more appealing -- especially in dumping Bruce, who already was obsolete a year into what was thought to be a very team-friendly deal last winter. It’s also an opportunity for Van Wagenen to check some significant boxes.
Cano should be able to provide some pop from the middle of the order, at least for the next two years, as a major offensive upgrade from Bruce. And at a position, second base, where they could use a veteran to be paired with the still-developing Amed Rosario. The Mets also are desperate for relief help, and Diaz (1.96 ERA, 15.2 K/9) immediately gives them one of the game’s best closers, without engaging in a bidding war at the top of the market for this winter’s free-agent crop. If the Mets truly are all-in for 2019, they should spring for an additional reliever as well, but the Wilpons haven’t given any indication yet as to what they have in mind for next year’s payroll.
Another benefit to this swap? In our view anyway, trading for Cano and Diaz should take Noah Syndergaard off the table, although the Mets haven’t suggested that one may be affected by the other. Before these Cano talks surfaced, Syndergaard looked like a potential high-return shortcut to improve the Mets at a few positions, provided that Van Wagenen had the financial flexibility to sign a free-agent starter to replace him.
But if the Mets already will be on the hook for, let’s say $15 million or so annually on Cano, and have a closer in place, we don’t see the same urgency to sell off Syndergaard, who is under team control for another three seasons. And if they did move Noah afterward, would there be money left to spend on another starter such as J.A. Happ? History suggests otherwise.
We shouldn’t rule that out, however. Van Wagenen already is showing us anything is possible, which is a new feeling in Flushing.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
