Former Gold Glove-winning pitcher agrees to one-year deal with Mets
The Mets are in agreement with Griffin Canning on a one-year, $4.25M free-agent deal, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic.
The contract, which is pending a physical, contains another $1M in performance bonuses.
The Mets have four open roster spots, so no corresponding move will be necessary.
Canning is a Wasserman client.
This will technically be Cannings third team of the offseason.
The Angels dealt him to the Braves in a one-for-one swap for Jorge Soler within hours of the trade market reopening.
As MLBTRs Steve Adams pointed out at the time, Canning wasnt a lock to stick in Atlanta for more than a few weeks.
MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him for a $5.1M salary in his final season of arbitration eligibility.
The Braves balked at that price and non-tendered him, affirming that the trade was about shedding the final two years of Solers contract.
That made Canning a free agent for the first time in his career.
The 28-year-old heads to Queens and should compete for a rotation job.
Canning has over five years of service time and cannot be sent to the minors without his consent.
Hell be on the MLB roster in some capacity, though its possible hell be pushed into long relief to open the year.
A second-round pick out of UCLA in 2017, Canning immediately became one of the Angels better pitching prospects.
He profiled as a quick-moving college arm who had a chance to land in the middle of the rotation.
Canning reached the big leagues within two years, but hes had an up-and-down career.
He posted a 4.58 earned run average over 90 1/3 innings as a rookie.
His best season came during the shortened 2020 schedule, as he turned in a 3.99 ERA through 11 starts.
That remains Cannings only sub-4.00 showing.
Opponents tagged him for a 5.60 ERA across 14 MLB appearances in 2021, leading the Halos to option him to Triple-A.
He landed on the injured list almost immediately with a stress reaction in his lower back.
That carried into the following year and cost him the entire 2022 season.
At the time, it looked as if injuries could derail his career.
The back was the most severe, but hed also battled recurring elbow soreness early in his career.
Canning has fortunately managed to stay mostly healthy over the last two seasons.
He landed on the injured list twice in 2023, though both were minimal stints related to minor leg issues.
Canning avoided the IL entirely this year.
His effectiveness has waned, however.
Canning pitched to a 4.32 ERA across 127 innings two seasons ago.
This year was a struggle, as he allowed 5.19 earned runs per nine over a career-high 171 2/3 frames.
His strikeout rate plummeted to a personal-low 17.6%, more than eight points south of the previous years 25.9% clip.
The walks ticked up a couple of points while his swinging strike percentage dipped from 12.8% to a league-average 11% rate.
The stuff also took a slight step backward.
Canning averaged 93.4 mph on his four-seam fastball this season, a tick below the prior seasons 94.7 mph mark.
Opponents teed off on that pitch, connecting on 16 homers with a .529 slugging percentage.
Canning features a fairly typical four-pitch mix (fastball, changeup, slider, curveball) and has intermittently looked like a fourth starter.
The Mets will try to help him find that form more consistently.
Canning becomes the third potential starter whom the Mets have added via free agency.
They went to the middle of the market for upside plays on Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes , the latter of whom will stretch into rotation work after six seasons as a full-time reliever.
Canning doesnt have the same ceiling hence the far lower price tag but aligns with New Yorks seeming preference for stockpiling depth.
Montas, Kodai Senga , David Peterson , and Holmes should all be in the Opening Day rotation.
Canning, Tylor Megill and Paul Blackburn would vie for the fifth starter job as things stand.
The Mets could prefer to run a six-man rotation.
Senga was limited to one regular season start this year by injury.
Theyll need to closely monitor Holmes workload so he doesnt fatigue.
Blackburn finished 2024 on the IL and underwent a postseason spinal surgery that could delay him in Spring Training.
The Mets could use at least another mid-rotation arm to solidify that group.
Theyve stayed in contact with Sean Manaea since he declined their qualifying offer.
Various reports have cast them as a long shot to land Corbin Burnes , but The Athletic tied them to Jack Flaherty and Nick Pivetta (each of whom remains unsigned) during the Winter Meetings .
Adding another starter would allow the Mets to push at least one of Canning, Megill or Blackburn into a multi-inning relief role.
RosterResource calculates New Yorks salary commitments and competitive balance tax number around $255M.
Owner Steve Cohen has been comfortable pushing their CBT number well beyond $300M in previous years.
Theres little reason for him to pull back now that theyve landed Juan Soto .
For now, they remain in the lowest tier of luxury tax penalization.
Theyre taxed at a 50% rate on spending between $241M and $261M, so the tax hit on Canning is $2.125M.
That brings the investment to $6.375M before incentives.
This article first appeared on MLB Trade Rumors and was syndicated with permission..
This article has been shared from the original article on yardbarker, here is the link to the original article.