Robinson Cano and the New York Mets are parting ways, but he may yet get to write a final chapter to his MLB career with another team.
The 39-year-old began the 2022 season as their starting second baseman but hit just .195 through 12 games. This was on the heels of a season-long suspension because of a second violation for performance-enhancing drugs and in the face of rosters being cut down from 28 to 26 men, so it was no surprise when the Mets designated him for assignment on Monday.
If this is the end for Cano's major league career, it's an oddly appropriate bummer.
His eight All-Star selections and high offensive ranks among second basemen (e.g., second with 301 career home runs) once painted him as a strong candidate for the Hall of Fame. However, his PED suspensions likely put the kibosh on that, and now he's looking for work even though he's still owed a fair deal of money under his previous contract.
Yet this won't be the end if Cano has it his way.
As Brodie Van Wagenen—who, in a totally normal sequence of events, is once again representing Cano after previously trading for him as the Mets' GM in 2018—told Joel Sherman of the New York Post: “Robbie absolutely still wants to play. Given the right situation, he can still make a meaningful contribution for a team.”
Cano is worth a flier, and not just because you only have to go back to 2020 to find him hitting like a star to the tune of a .316/.352/.544 slash line. There's also the fact it'll cost next to nothing for a team to sign him. We're talking a prorated percentage of the league minimum, which is only $700,000 this year.
As for where Cano might end up, we have no shortage of speculative possibilities, ranging from contenders like the Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres to teams that could look to rehabilitate him into a trade chip, like the Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland Athletics.
But if it's a list you're looking for, here's our take on six teams that fit Cano the best.
6. Miami Marlins
A return to the New York Yankees doesn't seem especially likely since they already have logjams at second base and designated hitter, but it's a fascinating possibility. If not with the New York Yankees themselves, though, perhaps Cano will join up with all the pinstriped ex-pats down on South Beach.
The Miami Marlins employ former Yankees great Don Mattingly as their manager and Kim Ng—who got her start in baseball in the Yankees front office under Brian Cashman—as their general manager. The Yankees signed Cano before Ng left to join the Dodgers in Dec. 2001, and Mattingly was the hitting coach for Cano and the Yanks from 2005-07.
Beyond these connections, the Marlins could use Cano as a designated hitter.
The Marlins don't have a regular at the position, instead settling for a rotation between first basemen Jesus Aguilar and Garrett Cooper and left fielder Jorge Soler.