Outfielder and first baseman Mark Canha has signed with the Brewers on a minor league deal, according to a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The deal includes an invite to big league Spring Training.
Canha, who celebrated his 36th birthday last week, is vying for a big league job ahead of what would be his 11th MLB season if he makes it onto a roster this year. The veteran was a seventh-round pick by the Marlins all the way back in 2010 but did not make his big league debut until 2015 as a member of the Athletics. Canha spent seven seasons in Oakland and, after struggling early in his career, broke out to become one of the club’s most important players from 2018 to 2021. That four year stretch saw Canha slash a solid .249/.366/.441 (126 wRC+) while splitting time between all three outfield spots.
During that time, Canha walked at an excellent 12.1% clip and struck out only 21.2% of the time. That solid plate discipline made up for Canha’s relatively lackluster power production. The veteran has only ever eclipsed 20 homers in a season once, when he crushed 26 bombs during a 2019 campaign that saw a league-wide power surge. Canha’s solid work with the A’s was enough to earn him a healthy two-year, $26.5MM guarantee from the Mets in free agency prior to the 2022 season. His work in a Mets uniform was mostly solid, and in 2021 his 126 wRC+ was enough to make him a key cog in the 101-win team’s lineup alongside fellow outfielders Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte.
He took a step back in his age-35 season last year, however, and hit just .245/.343/.381 with a pedestrian 104 wRC+ in 89 games for the Mets in the first half of the season. Canha wasn’t alone in struggling on that Mets club, and the under-performing team sold aggressively that summer ahead of the trade deadline. Canha was among the players moved, and he found himself traded to Milwaukee on deadline day. The veteran split time between the outfield, first base, and DH for the Brewers down the stretch and enjoyed a resurgence at the plate, hitting .287/.373/.427 with a 120 wRC+ over his final 50 games as he helped lead the club to a division title.
The Brewers held a $11.5MM club option on Canha’s services for the 2024 season, but did not have interest in bringing him back into the fold at that price tag. That didn’t mean Canha was headed back into free agency, however, as Milwaukee instead traded him to Detroit in order to avoid paying the $2MM buyout and acquire minor league reliever Blake Holub. The Tigers then exercised his option and seemed poised to make him a key part of their outfield mix early in the year. Strong performances from players like Wenceel Perez and Parker Meadows largely squeezed Canha out of the outfield, however, and he instead wound up splitting time between the outfield corners, first base, and DH throughout the first half of the season until he was traded to the Giants just before the trade deadline over the summer.
Canha returned to free agency on the heels of a decent campaign where he slashed .242/.344/.346 (102 wRC+) overall. The now-36-year-old offers virtually no power at this point in his career, having slugged just seven homers in 2024, but his plate discipline and on-base ability remain well above average. Canha figures to offer the Brewers a solid depth option in case of injuries throughout the Spring, but it’s difficult to see where he fits on the club as presently constructed. Rhys Hoskins remains entrenched at first base even after a down 2024 season thanks to his $18MM salary, and a combination of Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, Christian Yelich, and Sal Frelick appear to have the outfield mostly covered. If Canha manages to force his way onto the roster, perhaps he can serve as a right-handed complement for an entirely left-handed Brewers outfield that recently lost switch-hitting center fielder Blake Perkins to the injured list due to a shin fracture while also occasionally spelling Hoskins at first base.
Blockbuster move for the brewers
Cry babies are out. Find a different hobby drunk
Welllllll, he is a sad tormented…
Amazing deal. Potential all star weak platoon at multiple positions for absolutely free.
I was surprised to see, during his short time with the Crew he did accrue some “1.1oWar” but his defense was worth “-.4 dWar” seemed he looked/played well particularly at first…. the #’s say otherwise huh….perhaps that’s what’s behind his “cheap availability” but I can only imagine the Crew are thrilled to bring him back/get him for Major League camp without having to make any real financial commitment..also was worried when Margot “signed” a similar deal, that we may see him taking AB’s in Mil this summer, Thank God The signing of Canha/roster flexibility all but rules that out..for now at least, but back to the “point”…. With all the guys, heck “Connor Joe” getting major League deals well how is ol Markie Mark CanHAAAA available yet on a “minors” deal?
Good pickup
Crazy. Guy was league average and 1 WAR last year and only getting a minor deal?
A lot of league avg / no power 36+ year olds out there. Supply and demand.
There are a few with a little pop left without a contract.
@Longtimecoming
This response is overly simplistic and ignores key factors. First, “league average” is still a valuable trait—teams routinely sign players who provide that level of performance, especially those with a high OBP like Canha. Second, while power is important, it’s not the only determining factor in signing a player. Plenty of teams sign players for OBP, plate discipline, and positional flexibility—Canha checks all those boxes. Third, if “supply and demand” were the issue, then why do lesser players (or those with bigger flaws) still get guaranteed contracts? Rhys Hoskins, for example, is coming off a down year and is owed $18M, despite his defense being a liability. It suggests that power obsession still clouds evaluations, even when OBP and defensive versatility have tangible value.
“A lot of league avg / no power 36+ year olds out there.”
^^^^ Name three.
Short-sighted to look at last year only. If you go back and look at his stats, you’ll see that he’s been trending downward for four straight years now. Not sure what WAR you’re using – B-R has him at 0.6. Even at 1.0, that was half of what he did the year before. And he was barely league average on balance, but he accomplished that by hitting lefties above average and righties below. Thing is, RHers make up 71% of all starters, so its fair to think that teams see him as a platoon-only. Its plausbile that further decline renders him useless. Factor the likely part-time player status and you can see why teams would want to insulate themselves against that risk by not giving him a guaranteed roster spot.
Fangraphs had Canha at 1.0 WAR last year, and project him for 0.7 this year.
@
Cherry-picking the downward trend argument: Yes, Canha’s overall numbers have declined slightly, but the decline isn’t steep enough to justify a minor-league deal. He posted a 120 wRC+ in Milwaukee after the trade deadline and finished with a 102 wRC+ overall. That’s still major-league caliber. If every veteran whose numbers declined was relegated to a minor-league deal, half the league wouldn’t have a contract.
WAR Discrepancy: Baseball-Reference (bWAR) and FanGraphs (fWAR) evaluate WAR differently, and fWAR tends to be a better indicator for hitters because it accounts for plate discipline and baserunning in ways that bWAR sometimes undervalues. If Canha’s fWAR is 1.0, that still makes him better than plenty of guaranteed-contract guys. If 1.0 WAR is worthy of a non-roster invite, then what does that say about guys who posted negative WAR and still got deals?
Platoon Argument is Overblown: Yes, Canha was better against lefties, but he wasn’t useless against righties. His OBP remained strong, which still provides lineup value. If RH starters make up 71% of pitchers, that’s actually an argument for keeping a high-OBP guy in the lineup to get on base against them, rather than relying solely on boom-or-bust power hitters.
Risk Aversion Excuse: Teams have given guaranteed contracts to far riskier players—aging sluggers with massive platoon splits, injury-prone hitters, and guys whose OBP is far worse. If Canha is a “risk” at 1.0 WAR and a 102 wRC+, then how do you explain all the one-dimensional power hitters or glove-first guys with a wRC+ in the 80s getting contracts?
Dang, Old York moonlights as Canha’s agent. A full throated defense of the Canha signing.
Solid career. Outstanding leader and role model on last year’s Tiger team. Really seemed to keep the young Tigers settled and became a strong voice. I wish him well.
Yeah, as a Mets fan, I always thought he seemed like one of the good guys .
Also: good restaurant reviews
a bargain
You pay attention to the teams that keep returning to prominence and notice they build an entire team, including complementary pieces and a bullpen.
Reds: Agreed in general, but it’s no insult this is an old guy by pro athlete standards being mediocre at best. God bless his health, but Cincy hiring of Francona was its best move in years that can maximize its chance/narrow the gap of challenging a way better run Milw franchise (Krall isn’t good. More talented execs around mlb could do more with their limited budget….what they pay Candelario/Nick Martinez please!)
Is it safe to say that the rest of the FAs will only get minor league deals with invite to the spring training and opt outs? JD? Robertson? Gibson?
You never know what these idiots will do.
They’re holding out for more money than teams would like to pay. Verdugo as well. Gotta wait for more S.T. injuries to happen. Rizzo may be the only one who may take a MiLB deal at this point.
Canha corn.
2023 was not “last year”
Good call. I am surprised it has not been corrected yet.
He took a step back in his age-35 season last year, however, and hit just .245/.343/.381 with a pedestrian 104 wRC+ in 89 games for the Mets in the first half of the season.
Nice pickup, glad to have him back. The article had a mistake, Chourio is right-handed, the other three outfielders are lefty.
It is Nick Deeds. If you read not expecting him to get all the facts correct, then you won’t be disappointed. Read the headline on his articles. Go elsewhere for the details.
If he makes the club would be a good complimentary piece at 1b with Hoskins and DH.
Rizzo was right.
A guy who was a solid MLB hitter last year on a minors deal. That’s a steal.
A+
Nice complementary piece to have in the organization
Canha is probably a better 1b and a better hitter than Hoskins at this point. Almost $20 million difference in salary.
Bummer, I was hoping to see him back with the Mets.
Yeah see you can’t help but feel for these guys. No way Canha didn’t deserve an MLB contract, but at the same time good on him for taking it. He’ll most likely make that roster.
It’s what I said this morning in the Rizzo thread, he is inherently right, but you gotta read the room and play ball so to speak.
But!
At the same time, the Players Union needs to do something about the treatment of veteran players or what the league minimum should be or something to even the playing field a little. These teams waiting for these bargain bin deals really do drag down the whole system.
Only a minor league deal? I’m surprised the Mets didn’t grab him. You never know what kind of depth you’ll need and a minor league deal is nothing. Shocked a team like the White Sox didn’t sign him for a few million to try to flip him at the deadline.