TODAY: Azocar cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, DiComo reports. There isn’t any word yet on Canario’s status.
MARCH 27: The Mets will designate outfielders Alexander Canario and Jose Azocar for assignment today, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. It was already reported earlier in the week that Canario didn’t make the club and likely would be removed from the 40-man roster. Both outfielders are out of minor league options and thus cannot be sent to Triple-A unless they first clear waivers.
It’s the second time Canario has been bumped from a 40-man roster this spring. The Cubs cut him loose and traded him to the Mets for cash earlier in March.
The 24-year-old Canario (25 in May) has light-tower raw power but staggering strikeout issues that have been apparent throughout his time in the minors and his brief time in the majors. He fanned in more than 30% of his Triple-A plate appearances last season and has gone down on strikes in 42% of his small sample of MLB plate appearances. Canario’s 63.5% contact rate in Triple-A last year would’ve ranked last in the majors by more than two percentage points, and in his 45 MLB trips to the plate he’s made contact at an even lower 59.8% clip.
It’s a glaring and troubling contact profile. Canario has big time power when he does put bat to ball, as evidenced by a 37-homer campaign on his minor league resume, but that came back in 2022. Canario’s offensive output has declined in each of the past two minor league seasons. He’s still hit at an above-average level, but the combined .257/.345/.502 output (115 wRC+) over those two years is a ways shy of the 133 wRC+ he posted during that 37-homer campaign. He’s had a nice spring, hitting .306/.419/.611 with three homers in 43 plate appearances, but the contact problems loom large; he’s also fanned 15 times — a 34.9% rate.
Canario is an average runner or slightly below and is generally considered a corner outfielder rather than a center fielder. A club looking for some low-cost thump in the outfield corners could certainly take a look, but Canario’s skill set (corner only, middling contact) is one that gives many front offices pause (hence the multiple DFAs this spring).
As for Azocar, he’s more of a prototypical, speed-and-defense focused fourth outfielder. The 28-year-old (29 in May) has played in three big league seasons with the Padres and posted a .243/.287/.322 slash in 397 plate appearances. He’s a career .288/.320/.438 hitter in 799 Triple-A plate appearances and logged a .250/.283/.318 line in 46 trips to the plate this spring. He has glaring platoon splits, but not in the manner most would expect; the righty-swinging Azocar is a much better hitter against right-handed pitching to this point in his young big league career.
Statcast credited Azocar with 91st percentile sprint speed in 2024, though he’s had some issues on the basepaths despite that plus speed, succeeding in only 18 of his 27 stolen base attempts (66.7%). Azocar can play all three outfield positions at a high level.
Both players will be in DFA limbo for a maximum of one week. The Mets can place them on waivers at any point in the next five days and can also explore trade possibilities during that time. If there’s no trade by day five, they’ll both be placed on waivers, which are a 48-hour process themselves.
Alexander Canario will be an automatic waiver claim power bat.
Very impressive 2 HR Game with a GS this past weekend.
youtube.com/watch?v=MPScr3nw6Ys
youtube.com/watch?v=CLJgk8VpHfs
Robrock30:
And yet whoever claims him will probably find out why he was traded for cash in spring training and now put through waivers. Anyone claiming him now could’ve had him for cash before so why didn’t they trade for him?
In no small part because baseball front offices are seized (and seized up) by the same groupthink that besets most other fields.
It’s not that Canario is a misunderstood star in waiting, but he has managed to be extremely productive despite a high (but not inordinately high) K-rate. 136 OPS+ in MLB in a very small sample, and a .261/.346/.501/.847 line in 2253 PA in the minors, where he hasn’t just succeeded, but was solid at A and A+ and starred at low A, AA, and AAA
The only place he struggled was in high A at 21 after the Covid year, and then only briefly, after which at 22 in his first taste of AA and AAA he dominated, then continued to dominate AAA. If there’s a unicorn in the matter of surviving high K rates, Canario is it, but even then his K-rate was 26.3% in those 2253 milb PA, not 30-35%.
There’s every reason to think he can succeed in the majors with a 30% K-rate, particularly since he has a career BB rate of 10.6% to offset that—it’s not as if he has a bad eye, given he hits for a respectable average as well.
This is just a guess, but it may also be that he doesn’t work well with hitting coaches who want to tinker with his approach and acquired a “difficult” rep thereby. Still, a smart team with a replacement level corner OFer will do well to write Canario into the #6 slot in the lineup and let him rip for a couple of hundred PAs. He’s never failed in that sample size before, he’ll get on base at a decent clip, and he’s a competent corner OFer with the arm for RF.
In no way would he be the 781st-best player in MLB.
JackStrawb:
I get what you’re saying. However, there are a lot of forward thinking thinking front offices. I think they look at this guy as the ultimate quadruple a guy. Yes he’s had some success in a very limited amount of major league at bats. The guys who typically strike out at that level in the minor leagues have a hard time having overly productive major league careers. I have no idea what this guy will become, but when we talk about him being successful at the major league level, what does that mean? A guy who can start every day? A useful bench player? So far major-league baseball doesn’t really see him fitting in any of these roles. As far as him being productive for a couple hundred at bats, he would obviously have to prove that. We will see what he becomes. I hope there’s the off chance that he clears waivers and the Mets can keep him. I am intrigued, but only intrigued.
@Miken31 That’s fair. My guess is his K-rate will normalize at around 30% after c. 250 PA, but that’s only a guess.
If not for the injuries he’d probably still be a full-time CFer with an interesting bat and we’d have probably seen him already with a full season in MLB thanks to the glove.
Looking forward to him catching on somewhere and getting a real shot, whether it’s sink or swim!
JackStrawb:
The way I understood is that he could play centerfield in a pinch now, but is more of a corner outfielder. I don’t know from watching him. I didn’t pay attention to that. Yeah I’d like to keep him but it might now matter much in the end. Waiting to hear about him being claimed.
Jose Siri without the defense. Next.
Hopefully the White Sox are smart enough to give him a shot.
I watched the Mets Game where he crushed the 2 HRs including a GS. He could crack someone’s starting OF IMO.
Yup. Hoping the Padres pick him up and DFA Heyward
I think when the mets claimed him they had intentions of trading marte.
Robrock30:
Yeah, I’m sure he can start every day for the Albuquerque Isotopes. This guy does have some ability, but please don’t cite meaningless spring training training games.
One. Game. Minor league pitchers.
You really think people on this site are looking at one spring training game instead of checking all of his minor league stats?
Seriously?
Bummer but Cubs were in similar predicament
100% getting claimed. Would’ve been nice to have him waiting in the wings at AAA
Something I haven’t seen anywhere: Can a team sign a contract with this kind of player where he agrees to be sent to the minors in return for, say, a split deal guaranteeing him a few hundred thousand dollars more than the minor league minimum?
Yes but I believe it requires the player to be on the 40 man roster.
Thanks!
No doubt Canario could have a spot on every team not named the Dodgers.
Meh, let’s slow the roll a bit here on Canario. I think he could definitely slug 25 homers over a full season, but that will come with 175 strikeouts, a .300 OBP, and average at best defense. That’s not entirely bereft of value but there are at least 15 if not 20 teams that have better options.
baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=can…
MLB Stats 42 ABs .286 BA .857 OPS
2022 Minors 37 HRs 97 RBIs .899 OPS
7 Seasons .845 OPS
24 Years Old
Counterpoint: He struck out more than 30% of the time last year at AAA, a number that figures to be even higher in the major leagues. He’ll need to improve that a lot to have a chance to take advantage of his power.
19 of those 42 MLB PAs ended in a K(45.2% K-rate).
That 2022 year was split between three levels and 31 of the 37 were at Double-A or High-A.
He’s got some promising tools but there are red flags, the K rate is rough though.
The kid has raked at every level so just on that alone he’s a capable DH….plus he plays CF, has a 500+ SLG %, .850+ OPS and 25 HRs is his floor not ceiling. Cherry pick all you want but pros outweigh cons.
*Mets. Facts can be confusing for Conspiracy theorists.
Grey matter:
Well we know that’s not true as the Cubs already traded him for cash and the Mets are putting him on waivers.
Well the way I read it he is out of options due to an unfair rule. As it stands, he is a DH/4th OF who can’t be sent down. Kind of a Iglesias situation.
Look, the Cubs couldn’t keep him but they tried so they got what they could for him. They’d love to stash him, just like the Mets. His bat is too big…like Schwarber.
Grey matter:
But if anyone thought he was Schwarber, he would not be traded for cash and put on waivers so…
@Grey matter People have also made the point that he can be used in CF—and the Cubs did just that as recently as 2024 in Iowa, where he played a majority of his games in center.
There’s a spot for him somewhere in MLB.
How do you think he compares to Siri in cf?
Nowhere near as good (though in fairness to Canario Siri is about as good on defense as you’ll find in CF). Canario has had significant injuries that have slowed him some—by the accounts I’ve seen he’s slightly below average in CF, which would mean he’s playable there if he can hit at all in MLB. given we’re in the era of very weak bats in center.
so many garbage contracts and mets are forced to give up canario, a solid young bat
mlb should adjust the rule, new tm gets 1 option if previous tm exhausted all options
A) people are acting like this guy is a star. The Cubs let him go for cash. Any team could have had him already for next to nothing. B) MLB can’t just ‘adjust’ that rule, the MLBPA would need to agree, and I doubt they’d agree to that.
Pretty sure this is Johnny Utah, the biggest dope on this site
I agree with too many garbage contracts.
How can clay holmes be the Mets opening day starter?
@adam
Look at mets OD tm
Megill, canning,peterson, clay in rotation
Winker siri torrens baty in lineup
Dont even get me started on the BP
Soto is gonna have to hit 75 home runs this yr to compensate
ohyeadam:
Because teams realize opening day is just more symbolic than anything else. They set up their rotation for what that suits them to start the season.
The option limit is a player benefit to allow a player a chance to sink or swim on a major league roster.
@bucket
Unless no tm has room so the player gets passed around like a joint at a hipster party
If mets had the luxury of just 1 option they’d keep him & bring him up as soon as another injury occurs . canario is still a rookie, only 42 abs, but cubs simply used up all options very quickly. There are players in the majors for 5 yrs & still have options. Makes no sense. Literally no one benefits. Cubs lose a player, mets lose a player, canario loses a job. 1 option for new tm. Not that complicated.
Then you misunderstand how the process works. 1) it prevents a good, deep team from stashing the player in AAA indefinitely, and forces them to either keep him on the roster or make him available to other teams. This benefits baseball by allowing other teams to fill their needs, and benefits the player by giving creating an opportunity in which he can latch on with another team rather than be sent down.
In what way did Canario lose a job? If a team claims him, then he goes on to their major league roster – instead of being sent down. Under your suggestion, he would be sent down to AAA yet again. If no one claims him, then the Mets can keep him in AAA, which is exactly what would happen if they had an option.
The real issue isn’t this rule. It is the fact that the Latin players get signed at 16 and have the same 5 years as the US-based players before they have to be exposed to the Rule 5 draft. This forces the team to add the player to the 40-man roster after his Age 20 season.
The real solution is to re-classify the DSL and Venezuelan leagues as a Developmental Level, rather than Rookie level, thus exempting time spent there from counting towards the Rule 5 clock.
Other players still have options because they are better players than Canario. Canario isn’t out of a job. He’ll either makes someone else’s roster or at minimum go to AAA.
chandlerbing:
If the Mets actually believed him to be legitimate, they would’ve outright released Marte. Obviously they don’t believe in Canario enough to do that.
@mike
Mets dont wanna eat $21mil
They ‘ve been desperate to find a trade partner to get rid of marte
chandlerbing:
You do remember Robinson Canó, right? They ate his money and released him because they were done with him. If the Mets were done with Marte and thought Canario was a better option, they would’ve just dumped him. That’s the definition of a sunk cost. They obviously think he has more to contribute than Canario.
Ok dude im gonna reply 1 last time as a courtesy
Youre comparing marte to cano? Are u nuts? Cano was suspended for entire season for peds. This was right after cohen bought the tm & was wiping the slate clean
chandlerbing:
I don’t care how many more times you reply. Your posts are nonsensical. They released Cano because he couldn’t play anymore, not because of PEDs. And if they thought Marte had nothing to contribute, they would absolutely release him. Cohen has shown that. They just don’t think Canario is going to contribute enough.
I’m more upset about losing azocar
I like them both, and I don’t like Marte, or Taylor, and Nimmo is almost always the rally-killer.
agree 100%. I do wish McNeil and Marte were pushed out this year. I wanted some of the younger kids to play. and these two could’ve done so. I like Taylor too, but even him… I don’t see the magic this year with him. Nimmo? that’s gonna be a contract that hurts. great attitude and person… but makes me nervous every year he takes the field. would have liked them to truly put him back in cf, he was impressive. but due to constant injuries, I understand why.
The year is just starting. Rosters are fluid, not fixed, and nothing the Mets do now is etched in stone. we could very well see Marte and McNeil replaced by the prospects before the year is up. But right now, the prospects simply haven’t done enough to just hand them the keys to a regular role.
Taylor, if healthy, is a perfect 4th OF. And his presence does not block anybody.
Nimmo was good in CF for about two years, then he dropped off. His last two years in that role fell back to below average. That is why he is in LF, and LF is where he belongs. Yes, the contract is going to hurt. That was a given from the day he signed it. We’ll just have to bite the bullet as he declines into the most overpaid 4th OF in MLB history.
Since he cleared waivers, now you don’t have to be! He’ll be in Syracuse.
rct:
LOL
Hopefully the Tigers put a claim in on Canario even with contact issues he can’t be worse than Kriedler.
Jubilation:
Everyone loves guys like Canario until they no longer do. I’m sure seeing him up close for a long time in the major leagues will show all his warts.
Detroit should absolutely take a flier on Canario.
Absolutely, Chet!
Not a ton of open 40-man spots around the league right now so i would honestly be surprised if at least one of these guys doesn’t pass through and hang out in Syracuse as a good depth option.
As a Mets fan I’d love that rather than having to rely on Gilbert being ready in case of injury to one of the outfielders on the big club.
However, I think teams like the White Sox, Marlins, Rockies, etc. will take shots at guys like these. Or at least, they should.
Camikey: But they’re not relying on Gilbert. They’ve signed a couple of vets with MLB experience, and also a triple-A CF who hasn’t reached the majors yet, but could be ready to ascend to quad-A status.
And I believe that is exactly why the Mets acquired Canario: in the hopes that DFAing the both of them at the same time would increase the chance that at least one of them clears and remains with the Mets org.
Can’t believe they’re losing these two exciting guys. Stuck with Marte, which is awful. I’d rather see them in there even for Taylor and .227 Nimmo.
That’s a pretty dumb idea. I mean like, damn, I’m awestruck with how terrible that plan is. Awful.
Let’s not overstate this. We’re talking about two quad-A players here. This kind of player churn is just part of the process of baseball rosters, and is going on with every team this time of year. There’ll be other quad-A types to claim as the season goes on.
Exciting is an overstatement, alproof… especially for Azocar, a 29-year old who still hasn’t managed to stick on an MLB roster.
And the Mets haven’t lost either of them yet. Maybe they’ll get claimed, maybe they won’t.
alproof:
See how waivers work? They didn’t lose Azócar. He’s now with the Mets at AAA. We will see about Canario.
Canario hit a bomb against the Yanks the other day (iirc), and he has staggering K numbers. Yep, he’s a lock for Cashman.
Both are young enough to fix their flaws in their game.
Perhaps, but thats a gamble, not a given. Azocar is 29, so not so young.
And how often have we seen a chronically very high strikeout guy correct that flaw? It could happen, but its not common.
@geofft
Your point about high-strikeout guys rarely correcting their flaw is valid if we assume the flaw is purely mechanical or skill-based. However, history suggests that approach adjustments can unlock hidden upside, particularly when players have elite raw power.
Consider Joey Gallo and Teoscar Hernández—both carried extreme K-rates early on but became productive because they improved pitch selection rather than trying to cut strikeouts outright. Canario’s problem isn’t just contact—it’s swing decisions. If he learns to identify which pitches to attack, his whiff rate matters less because his damage-per-contact event is already elite. Teams with strong hitting development, like the Rays or Dodgers, have shown they can maximize these types of players.
So, while it’s a gamble, the risk-reward calculation isn’t as simple as “high K-rate = unfixable.” It’s about whether an organization can help him refine his selectivity.
At 28 (29 in May), I’m thinking flaw fixing has had its chances and me be a simple case of Sugar having hit his ceiling. Any team needing what he has to offer (lower 5-10 teams) could do worse because he was a clubhouse and fan favorite in SD.
@Longtimecoming
Age alone isn’t a hard cap on development—it’s more about adaptability and role optimization. Take Kevin Kiermaier or Michael A. Taylor—both were defense-first outfielders who made subtle late-career adjustments (better swing paths, launch angles) to extend their value.
Azocar’s issue isn’t talent; it’s deployment. His success vs. righties suggests he’s misused as a traditional platoon guy. If a team leans into his strengths—higher ground-ball rate, speed, and contact skills—they could unlock hidden value.
And since baserunning is one of the most coachable tools in baseball (see: Terrance Gore, Billy Hamilton refining their technique late in their careers), his below-average SB efficiency could still improve. He doesn’t need to become an elite hitter—just optimizing his baserunning alone could make him a more viable fourth outfielder.
Canario was Nimmo insurance for the spring since he was had some nagging stuff from last year hanging around. I’d rather cut Marte and keep Canario but teams don’t like spending 20 mil in salary and getting nothing out of it. But Marte is likely to be a sunk cost this season on or off the roster. I’d have kept Canario.
Very tempting, but I’m guessing the rationale is with two regulars out and Nimmo dicey, the Mets might have preferred a league average bat on the bench in Marte.
Still, any team with a hole in the OF should be willing to gamble on Canario.
JackStrawb:
Hey Jack! I like Canario, but the strikeout numbers are pretty eye-opening. A lot of MLB exposure could show his warts in a major way. I think the Mets would absolutely drop Marte if they thought he was a better bet than Canario. The fact that they didn’t just dump Marte as a sunk cost, I think shows their evaluation of Canario. They could be wrong, but the actions speak volumes.
@Miken31 Hey, Mike! I wrote a response on these issues upthread in reply to a comment you made. Yeah, Stearns seems able to see past stale thinking and if Canario was a very good bet to be productive the Mets could probably have figured out a way to work him in.
I think he’ll succeed, but I also think it’s a gamble, and with the last half of the Mets lineup looking dicey with McNeil and Alvarez out, and Nimmo one wrong step from missing a month, they probably wanted to keep a floor under one of those slots.
JackStrawb:
Yeah, I just saw that post Jack and I responded back to it. Ha ha. I am curious to hear about if there was a waiver claim. There’s so many awful teams with such a little talent that I have to feel someone probably would just grab him, but stranger things have happened.
Should have kept Canario and got rid of Marte no matter what they had to eat in salary. At least there would have been an upside.
It’s going to be a long season for us Mets fans; Soto sucks, complete waste of money; not clutch at all.
Your Soto take is pretty damn stupid but to each his own.
@Canosucks Go to “Clutch Stats” and “Leverage.”
Oh, and stop talking.
baseball-reference.com/players/split.fcgi?id=sotoj…
No its just fun watching peoples’ reaction
Stop talking. Pretty Funny LOL
You did not disappoint me.
Chill dude; it’s just Baseball
By the way Jack gave you a thumbs up above
At least BC response was more reasonable; don’t agree but each to his own.
Got like that; would buy him a beer if we ever met up.
Pun intended Met Up
Tis the season
You can be a rockstar in spring training
Canario cleared waivers? Surprising
Good news for mets
But following sentence says no word on Canario. One of those is a typo.
Wait you’re right that makes no sense
Canario cleared waivers but there’s no word
C’mon rumors writers! Get your act together
x.com/AnthonyDiComo/status/1906048359871246693?ref…
I know it has nothing to do with this article (most recent article on the site) but have you all seen what the Yankees are doing to the Brewers today? 8 HR’s through 4 innings. Judge is on pace to hit 243 Home Runs and before this one is over may be on pace to hit 324 Home Runs. The ball is flying out of the yard in the Bronx today.
80 degrees in NYC today
18 runs in 6 innings
Is there a mercy rule in mlb or am i thinking of little league ?
Looking at some of these anemic batting avgs and lack of power, I think Canario deserves a full-fledged shot. So what if he Ks 175 times, of he hits 30 home runs, you have a Rob Deer potential, a Schwarber potential. A guy who hits bombs and K’s alot. I mean, come on, its not like the guy is Javy Baez.
And that is exactly what the DFA process is for – to see which, if any, team is willing to give him a shot.
That said, the key word is potential. You don’t know that he is a Schwarber. Intead of 175 K and 30 HR, he could K 200 times with only 22 HRs. Or he could turn out to be potent against only left-handers.