The Mets acquired outfielder Alexander Canario from the Cubs for cash considerations, the teams announced. New York placed Nick Madrigal on the 60-day injured list to create a 40-man roster spot. Chicago had designated the 24-year-old Canario for assignment last week as the corresponding move for the Justin Turner signing. He’s out of options, so he needed to break camp or be made available to other teams via trade or waivers.
It was moderately surprising that the Cubs cut Canario loose. They acquired the righty-hitting outfielder alongside Caleb Kilian in the 2021 deadline deal that sent Kris Bryant to the Giants. Canario popped 37 home runs during his first full minor league season in the Chicago system. Baseball America slotted him among the organization’s top 15 prospects entering both the 2023 and ’24 campaigns.
This winter, BA dropped him to 26th in the Cubs system. Canario still draws praise for his raw power and bat speed, but his pure hitting ability has been an issue throughout his minor league career. He has fanned in 26.3% of his plate appearances over seven minor league seasons. He went down on strikes in 30.4% of his 283 trips to the plate with Triple-A Iowa last year.
Canario drilled 18 homers in half a season’s worth of playing time, leading to a strong enough .243/.336/.514 slash in the minors. The Cubs called him up a few times but only got him into 15 games. He hit .280/.357/.440 with one homer in 28 trips to the dish, though he struck out 11 times while drawing only two walks. It seems the Cubs viewed Canario as a potential Quad-A type whose hit tool would be exposed if they gave him consistent major league run.
As a corner outfielder, Canario has limited defensive value. Baseball America credits him with plus arm strength but below-average range, suggesting he profiles as a bench bat. The Cubs didn’t have much room for that type of player. They have Kyle Tucker and Ian Happ in the corner outfield with Seiya Suzuki lined up for the majority of designated hitter work.
It’s tough to see Canario sticking on New York’s major league roster for similar reasons. The Mets already have five outfielders who are locks for the Opening Day roster if healthy: Juan Soto, Brandon Nimmo, Tyrone Taylor, Jose Siri and Starling Marte. They have Jesse Winker at designated hitter. While they’ve entertained trade possibilities on Marte, it doesn’t appear they’ve made much traction in dealing him. The Mets only have a utility infield spot up for grabs in their current bench mix. Madrigal was the favorite for that role until he sustained a fractured left shoulder in yesterday’s Spring Training game.
Unless they lose someone else to injury over the next month, the Mets are unlikely to have room for Canario to break camp. There’s a decent chance they’ll try to get him through waivers later in the spring.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported the trade before the team announcement.
I am so glad they got the pitcher they needed.
Raven, I’m a Cubs fan, and, while I understand your concern about your team’s pitching–you are going to be very glad about this trade in time. Canario is going to hit a lot of homers for the Mets, and fans around baseball will wonder why Jed Hoyer ever let him go. (Cubs fans already know why, but it’s not something that can be talked about in public forums in these strange times.)
Ooooh, Alan has inside information! Is it because his walk-up song was Pepas?
Not inside information, but common sense. I can see who they keep and who they don’t. And the pattern has been consistent since Hoyer became POBO.
It was the same during the last years of the Wrigley regime, and yes I go back that far and farther. But ’nuff said.
Bet you he never sees an MLB regular season game for the Mets.
Your conspiracy theory is comical. Take a look at the statues outside Wrigley Field. Kevin Alcantara has emerged as the better young prospect, it’s just that simple. The Jaguar is better in every phase of the game and I believe Canario is out of options. Something had to give.
Alan you are forgetting one big FACT; dude is out of options and the Mets are already overbooked in the OF.
If he doesn’t have a Field of Dreams Spring someone else will reap the rewards.
totally agree for that fact with Swingandamiss
Mets just taking a low-cost, low risk at the moment move but it will not last
True, the Mets might not have room for him–but as you say, some team will. That team could have been my team, the Cubs, if not for Hoyer’s, uh, prejudices.
Only if the fences are brought in. Other than hoyer can’t analyze talent, why was he cut loose?
The Cubs have not had a player with dark skin on the 26-man roster for more than a few games–for more than a proverbial cup of coffee–since Hoyer took over. When the Cubs play some teams, it’s like the white guys against the black guys. It is embarrassing.
And no, I’m not a racist for noticing it: Hoyer is a racist for doing it. He never gave Canario a chance. He never was going to.
There, you made me say it
It’s certainly not impossible.
Probably just a coincidence. Afterall, he traded for Paredes. The guy just didn’t work out and he saw the opportunity to get a lineup changing hitter.
But…Sammy Sosa! Kidding. That’s a great point. Could be the “quarterback needs to be white so he’s got a good head on his shoulders” syndrome. Not saying it definitely is, but your point is valid in my eyes.
Alan.. You’ve been saying it- over and over- Machado, Lopez, Amaya, Ballesteros, Allen, Alcantara, Murray.. among others.. all in camp.. Would disagree. Just quit.
Thanks for your eloquent posts Alan53.
You’re muted. Good bye.
I was just about to reply with basically the same group. Maybe if Alcantara is left off the roster (assuming he continues at anywhere near his current pace) I’ll reconsider, but probably not.
If you look at last year, most position players outside of Suzuki fit the observation but it dismisses catchers and quite a few pitchers. In the end, a roster shouldn’t be some sort of quota system. It is merit based b/c if the players don’t perform, the FO will be let loose.
My WSox have an odd obsession with Cuban players that’s not serving them well and JR is a ring leader of minority hiring….it’s all surface garbage if you can’t develop players and consistently put a good product on the field.
Astute execs will drown out the noise to assemble a team that drafts/trades for/acquires FAs that maximize chance of winning.
Jason heyward, Marcus Stroman off the top of my head
Stroman, Morel, Paredes, Amaya, Jorge Lopez, Alcantara, Bethancourt, You are a race baiter.
Stroman was given a nice contract by Hoyer. It was Stroman who opted out.
Cubs used a very high 1st round pick on an African American shortstop named Ed Howard a few years ago. Unfortunately he has struggled at the plate. And then there was 2nd round pick and African American Brennen Davis. He looked to be an emerging star but had some of the worst injury luck I can remember. Cubs stuck with him for years, but finally moved on.
If you try hard enough to find things that fit your agenda, you’ll find them.
What’s the difference between the Cubs and the Orioles then?
Yes, and there is Alcantara, and others. You are right that the Cubs sometimes draft or acquire players of color. But somehow those players never are allowed to have prominent, longstanding roles on the team. And the Cubs never have an Elly de la Cruz, an Adolis Garcia, a Randy Arozerena, or a Lawrence Butler, or a James Woods, in the lineup: maybe I have a poor imagination, but I can’t imagine someone who looks like those guys playing for the Cubs. You can be sure Alcantara will eventually get the Canario treatment.
I think Hoyer’s racism is a kind of “soft” racism. That is, he doesn’t hate dark-skinned players or want to go back to the pre-integration era (as a long-ago Cubs GM, Bob Kennedy, surely did). But he thinks the way (some) darker-skinned players self-present is away-from-the-good,is bad for the team, is hot-doggy. He is more comfortable around white kids from affluent Southern Californian backgrounds, and that’s who he puts on the team. And he sees black players as somehow fungible, as commodities: they are the ones you trade, not the ones you keep.
And the “players of color” that do spend much time on the 26-man tend to be players of, well, not much color, lighter-skinned Latinos. You can play for the Cubs if your skin is dark–just not TOO dark. Pigment seems to be an issue.
Folks, it gives me no pleasure to see this and say this. I’ve been a fan since I was 7 in 1960 and I love this team. Every time I look at the transactions page, I hope I will see something that will prove me wrong. I am still hoping. I hope to live to see the Cubs look like–and win like–a normal team.
@Alan53: Hoyer is a bottom half POBO, but that is some bad and divisive race-based projection that’s unfair to him. No exec can control which prospects happen to hit, which flop or get hurt too much.
Well, besides the obvious difference…yes, you’re right, there are some other teams who are somewhat like the Cubs in terms of racism–but the Cubs are surely the most extreme example.
Yes, Hoyer is very capable of making bad trades, including for players who are technically “persons of color,” but do not have dark skin.
I hate to even be talking about things like this, guys. But Hoyer’s pattern is so clear that it is unavoidable. He does not like to have men with dark skin on his team.
Yes. Just this morning Counsell stressed to reporters that Alcantara, who plays with a little swagger, is “very young.” The Cubs equate black self-presentation with immaturity.
He will be left off the roster–that’s why they got Jankowski–so prepare to reconsider. Counsell was just dissing him this morning.
Some of those are very light-skinned “players of color ” Most won’t make the team. No one has answered my point substantively. I wish someone could.
Just a theory: I think the Sox sign a lot of dark-skinned players because they want to be perceived locally as the not-Cubs. (Of course, the players need to be good too.)
Bad theory
Getting the best player is what counts. Not what they look like.
Back in the day, “self-presentation” was called being a hot dog, no matter your color.
What a reach!
I take back what I said after thinking about it more it just doesn’t make sense and there is quite a bit of evidence to the contrary (the natural’s post just a few above yours was enough to make me fully convinced that he is right)
Alan… You’re having your stroke in installments.
Maybe. But you are weirdly interested in me, aren’t you? Drop it.
34% strikeout rate. In the minors.
And, no, that’s as a hitter!
it’s a long season. we don’t need a sp right away just to get one. I trust Cohen and Stearns. they’ll address it
why!!! use the darn farm system for situations like this. I get having the kids down there get more at bats, but at some point they gotta be given a chance to play at this level.
I never understood the need to bring political discussions on a baseball site
Steinbrenner2728: I never understood the need to take everything you read so seriously.
so you won’t even stand by your statement? pathetic
Blah blah blah: What does that even mean?
I never understood why you only post negative comments on this site
OK
Oh look, it is Baron Blue Balls being a passive aggressive douchebag again, is it a day that ends in Y? You really need to get that TDS checked gramps, you talk about Trump on here more than baseball.
Me neither. I think some could be on pornhub and would feel the need to get political.
He probably starts beating his dog if the guy on bottom is wearing a red g string.
Phree4u: You have a dog?
They’re just doing it to attract attention to themselves. Ignore them.
A) What farm system? What outfielders do the Mets have in the farm system?
B) Situations like what? What, exactly, is it that you think prompted this move? Madrigal’s injury? No, Madrigal is an infielder, and the Mets do have several of those in triple-A.
Martial being hurt is great cover for signing him to begin with.
Canario is just insurance against an injury or in the unlikely chance that Stearns can move Marte. No point starting the clock on a true prospect just to have them sit on the bench 5-6 days a week. Canario probably gets DFA by the Mets right before Opening Day, and some cheap and perpetually rebuilding team like the Marlins will claim him as a short side platoon corner OF/DH.
Canario was intriguing because he could play CF. Unfortunately he had a massive leg injury the winter ball season before this past one and that appears to have killed his backup CF potential.
I think Marte is on the move
I think you’re right…. If this kid hits in the spring, they may just eat Marte’s contract if Mets see something in this kid… taking a flyer on this kid for the spring training….
It’s a calculated bet that teams are overcorrecting on K-rates while undervaluing raw power and athleticism. If Canario clicks, the Mets could have landed a legitimate middle-of-the-order bat for almost nothing.
I read that he’s a poor defender, so not sure how athletic he really is – and he’s had frequent injuries. I doubt that it’s only about the K’s.
@goob
Most good hitters are terrible defenders. The guy with the biggest contract is a terrible defender yet MLB teams wanted to pay top dollar for him. That tells the hitter market that you can be terrible at fielding and they’ll still pay you if you can hit.
I’m saying that the Cubs didn’t let him go for pocket change, solely because of his K-rate.
@Pronklington
I’m not sure why I can’t reply to you as there is no reply button, so I’ll reply to myself.
There are thousands and thousands of baseball players in the world that are athletic and touted as great players but can’t make the cut. If he doesn’t make the cut, it costs nothing.
@goob
It’s pocket change. As I said, he if pans out with the Mets, great, if not, there wasn’t much of a cost in the first place. You expect most guys to not pan out and a few of them end up sticking around.
“As I said, he if pans out with the Mets, great, if not, there wasn’t much of a cost in the first place.”
Well, of course…I never claimed otherwise.
Is there something between terrible and average? Like below average, mediocre, etc.? And he’s got a good arm.
Like how Franchy Cordero was long touted for his athleticism and power. Doesn’t help if it doesn’t translate on the field.
@goob Thing is, Marte is an awful defender, so bad he should never play the field again, among the worst in MLB acc to Statcast—and that was at age 35. Now he’s 36.
At best Marte was only going to slip a little at 36 and put up a 95-100 OPS+ and never play the field. As a short side platoon DH that’s a disastrously limited player, one who limits the Mets to just three backups on the 26-man, even though casual fans keep thinking he’s still the Marte of 2022 if not earlier. He isn’t.
Canario on the other hand put up average numbers as a corner OFer on defense. That’s a guy you at least can put in the field without wincing, particularly if Nimmo’s out with a long-term recurrence of plantar fasciitis. Canario can also hit RHPing, so if Winker’s injured he may well be worth DHing against both sides.
With an .866 OPS in AAA, .880 in AA, and an .857 in MLB, it was definitely worth a shot—and the Mets have the rest of ST to figure out if Canario is for real. Marte’s slot was a significant weakness. This gives them a chance at significant improvement, turning “let’s hope he doesn’t decline too much” into “did the Cubs just toss a middle of the order DH out in the trash?”
He will not click. He will spend more time on the injured list than the active roster. When he does play he will strikeout more than he sees first base.
I think Marte is on the move.
Some really insanely stupid comments by embarrassing Mets fans
Good luck to Canario. He’s out of options. Have fun watching him strike out frequently and crush the ball occasionally, Mets fans.
Thanks, though 593 K in 2253 milb PA is nothing serious. It’s 158 K per 600 PA. If you’re concerned with the number of K’s in his career 45 MLB PA, then have SSS caveats apply tattooed somewhere prominent for ready reference.
Even with 19 K in 45 MLB PA Canario put up a line of .283/333/524 with a 136 OPS+. If you think strikeouts matter when you hit like that, they don’t. Consider that if your entire lineup hit like that, even with perfectly average pitching you’d never not win your division. And among the benefits of K’ing? He has no GIDP.
That people still think K’s, broadly speaking, matter… you have to blame the parlous state of public education.
He’s a younger version of Patrick wisdom.
Will crush the ball in spurts,bat .190 and strike out 30%+ of his at bats.
And with consistent playing time, pitchers will figure him out even more and you’ll 35-40% k rate.
His issue is he has never been able to make adjustments through 7 years in the minors.
He’s my a AAAA player, could be a useful power bench piece and play emergency OF, but there is always a chance something clicks, he has tons of raw talent, and he’s still young.
I wish him the best, was a fan watching him through the system but he’s out of options and it is what it is.
@Phree4u You couldn’t be more wrong, comrade. Wisdom couldn’t touch upper minors’ pitching until his age 25 season, whereas Canario dominated both AA and AAA at 22.
The difference is canyon-sized.
The Cubs also had Canario in CF at Iowa. He didn’t see time there in MLB because the Cubs have PCA, but a solid corner OFer who won’t embarrass himself in CF? That’s light years better than Marte on defense. It’ll take some guts to commit to this, but if Canario’s hitting in ST I won’t be surprised to see the Mets eat $17m in salary and deal Marte for a bag of balls and give his spot to Canario.
It’s the one place on the roster they can significantly upgrade, and for effectively nothing beyond the rebate of a few million in Marte’s salary.
Nice move Mr. Stearns. LGM.
Who said he was getting a roster spot.
Mets Era… because thats how DFA works. When you take a player who was designated, you take him at the level he was before the DFA. The Mets can remove him from the roster by designating him themselves. But until they do that, he is on the 40-man roster.
Yes but not on the 26 man roster. This is nothing more then a spring training invite at this point.
Fine depth. Nothing drives the fans more bananas
@SadMsFan
Dodgers have infinite roster spots so I think the Mets can too.
Weak side DH platoon with Winker. Bye bye Marte.
Yep. He’s in the last year of his deal so I think he gets DFA’d and released.
Honestly minimal risk. Cost next to nothing if he can’t hit you dfa him. Not like he’s on a bloated contract
The risk comes in deciding to keep him, which means dealing Marte for a bag of balls while eating $18m in salary since you can’t stash Canario in the minors for a rainy day. The Mets would have to gamble on him as their 5th OFer and DH against LHPing and live with the consequences.
I haven’t seen it happen, but if they could do it you’d think teams would effectively ‘buy’ an option from a player, letting them yoyo him between the majors and the minors as they needed or in the event he slumped they could stash him in the minors to work it out without losing him, but it never seems to happen except with guys signed in FA to split contracts and the like.
Madrigal is going to the 60 Day IL.
Well they can’t have 7 outfielders and no back up infielders.
Amazing they got “something” for this bum and got absolutely NOTHING for Schwarber a few years ago.
Don’t let Schwarb’s sub .200 BA get in the way of your disdain
where were the Jays? we tried trading Jansen for him last year and we could’ve had him for cash now – what?
Nice young acquisition for mets, surprised cubs gave him up for nothing
Right? The lack of options is an issue. You can’t send him down if he struggles and expect to keep him, and if they deal Marte because Canario has a standout spring then goes into a month long slump, they’ll have to go fish for a 95-100 OPS short side DH.
Though they can probably compensate by resting their regulars and having them DH against lefthanders. Still, throw in an injury or two and suddenly you’re struggling to get enough from the DH slot if Canario falters. I suppose Marte is hardly a sure thing, either, at 36, and this kid would appear to have more upside. A lot more—and Canario got to AA and AAA at 22 and killed at both stops. That’s uncommon, and it would also be uncommon for a player like that to not succeed as a hitter at the MLB level.
With his strong record this feels like a personality clash more than that they couldn’t find room for him, though the Cubs have a sort of an odd roster crunch going. Good pickup by the Mets, and it suggests they’re not content with Marte.
Not a personality clash, exactly, but you’re getting closer.
Ah. Interesting… well, there are meetings in every city.
Marte could start the year on the IL. Could happen with Nimmo also. Gilbert is also not 100%.
I would think Young would be the 1st to fill in, but he bats LH so maybe it will depend on who breaks camp?
@CleaverGreene Good points. Young is primarily a 1Bman and LFer, whereas Canario has played both corners and the Cubs had him in CF in AAA in 2024. Young has more experience so if they need a fill in in LF for a month and Canario doesn’t have a great spring, I can see putting Young on the 26-man and trying to get Canario through waivers since he doesn’t have an option remaining—on the other hand Young has options, so trying Canario first short of a disastrous spring makes sense given his upside.
The Mets picked up Young before Alonso was resigned, so they’d have someone to fill in if they had to move Vientos back to 3B or if Nimmo couldn’t play. I don’t think they’d use both on OD since… okay… now I’m confused.
Ricketts is a big fan of Cohen Cash.
I’m surprised a bad team or a team with OF needs didn’t take a flyer on him. Like tge WSox or Astros.
Instead, he went to team with no clear path to a roster spot.
I think a lot of Cubs fans overvalued him.
@57
I’d give him a legit shot if Winker, siri, tyrone taylor fail
@pt57 Interesting takes from Cubs fans at “BCB After Dark: Why did the Cubs DFA Alexander Canario? This is not a trick question” By Sara Sanchez
I’d post the link but MLBTR sometimes puts such comments in a timeout.
Fwiw apparently Canario suffered an ugly injury in winter ball in 2022 and his speed never entirely came back, putting a crimp in his defense (but not so much that the Cubs didn’t play him in CF in 2024). The IL also inflates stats and his milb wRC+ was reportedly 113 then 116 over the last two seasons. Good, but not close to great once adjusted for league.
Never know, may be this guy can help some, and as for pitching, I thought they would pursue someone. , but also may be Sproat could look good in spring training and surprise some people. And please, leave the politics out of these baseball websites.
I had hoped the Giants would bring him back.
This is another brilliant move by the boy genius! Have an infielder go down with an injury? Go get a corner outfielder with limited defensive value and a sky high K rate! Not like we don’t already have enough corner OF types already. Stearns is maybe the most over-hyped, overpaid executive in MLB.
Give him a shot 86 as a weak side power platoon with Winker who can actually be a decent 5th outfielder. Marte is washed up.
LOL You base this on? His team Brewer teams consistently made the playoffs and in year one with the Mets he made it to the LCS.
Dear 86. It’s never too late to grow up. Adulting. It’s a thing.
I wonder how they (Cubs, in this case), pick a team to trade the player to because there had to be several teams who offered at least the same thing as the Mets. At least for a lottery ticket like Canario, who could pay off in a big way, if he were on someone like the Marlins. An OF needy, power lacking team in a rebuild should’ve offered 5 bucks more than the “we don’t really need him. We just figured we’ll bury him at AAA, Mets”, I’d think.
The GMs factor in who he likes dealing with when picking which team to trade with when there is no clear winner. 5 bucks is not going to do it. They assist each other and hope for the same in the future. Just being human business men.
dsett.. Not sure why you assume that there “had to be several teams”. Clearly there were at least two – the Mets, and a team ahead of them in the claim process – because otherwise the Mets would have just claimed him rather than trade for him.
But in order to take him on, a team had to have – and be willing to use – an opening on their 40-man roster. As you can see from the comments, this player has a huge strikeout rate, plays bad defense, and is out of options. Which means the acquiring team will have to either keep him, or designate him for assignment themselves. Not likely many teams “had to” be interested in this guy.
A bad team should have claimed him instead of the OF filled to the max Mets, is all I’m saying.
You’re overstating his value. Given his liabilities, its questionable as to whether anyone should have claimed him. Most 40-man rosters are full. Which means the team is not simply adding Canario, they are more than likely removing someone else to make room for him.
That said, yes. A bad team clearly (or at least apparently) did. clam him. THAT is why the Mets had to trade to get him. Bad team or not, does not mean they thought highly enough of him to actually give something away to get him, in addition to possibly losing the player.
It was a coincidence that the Mets A) had a sudden roster opening due to Madrigal’s injury (possibly with more to come), plus B) they have another depth OF (Jose Azocar) who is also out of options. Right now, both of them are heading for DFA’s when spring training ends and 26-man rosters are named. Stocking up improves the chances that the Mets get to keep at least one of them.
I don’t see any issue. The Mets saw a player they found interesting and picked him up for next to nothing. If he doesn’t stick, oh well.
They seem content with their IF options at the moment. Pitching is a concern for sure but ST is still going and there’s time to address that if they choose. Front offices can work on multiple potential moves at once; it’s not like Stearns and his team were sequestered away for days figuring out how the land Canario.
I wish Canario the best. Same with Matt Mervis. Safe to say as a Cubs fan these guys really didn’t get a fair look. Personally, my hope is these players really find success. I said the same thing when the Cubs cut Kyle Schwieber loose.
Beats working in the coal mine.