WEST PALM BEACH — The Mets are taking a chance on a young outfielder with raw power, trading cash considerations to the Chicago Cubs for Alexander Canario on Monday night. A corner outfielder out of the Dominican Republic, Canario was designated for assignment Thursday so the Cubs could make room for former Mets infielder Justin Turner.
An outfield prospect who was traded to Chicago by the San Francisco Giants in the deal that saw Kris Bryant leave the team that drafted him, Canario has played 21 games in the big leagues, going 12-for-42 (.286) with an .857 OPS and two home runs. While his power is intriguing, he has yet to solve his strikeout problem. In 45 MLB plate appearances, he has struck out 19 times (42.2%), and his contact rates have been low in Triple-A and in the major leagues. His defense doesn’t rate high either, but he does have a strong arm.
Canario wasn’t going to make the Opening Day roster and was buried on the depth chart. Since he’s out of minor league options, the Cubs had little choice but to designate him.
The Mets have an influx of infielders at the big league level, but Jesse Winker and Starling Marte will primarily platoon at the DH spot, so adding Canario gives them depth in Triple-A.
“He’s a young outfielder and a toolsy athlete,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “He’s got power, he’s only 24 and he’s put together some good numbers, especially in the minors from the power side… Excited to have him here in camp.”
The Mets have Brandon Nimmo, Tyrone Taylor, Jose Siri and Juan Soto, in addition to Marte and Winker on the major league roster. Infielder Nick Madrigal was moved to the 60-day IL with a broken shoulder to make room on the 40-man roster.
DIAZ’S DEFENSE
Despite their best efforts in spring training, the Mets did a poor job controlling the running game last season. The Mets are putting a heavy emphasis on it this spring specifically with the big league regulars. One of those is closer Edwin Diaz, who took nearly two seconds to get the plate last season, giving runners plenty of time to get good jumps. Diaz is trying to get his delivery down 1.5 seconds, which can sometimes be difficult for pitchers like him who rely on a big leg kick for power and velocity.
“When he’s throwing live BP today back in Port St. Lucie, and when he gets on game action, those are some of the things that we’ll be looking for,” Mendoza said. “He knows and he wants to work and picking bases too. He wasn’t as comfortable last year throwing over. So that’s something that in the off season, when he was in Puerto Rico, he worked on a lot.”
Diaz is hoping to eventually use a slide step, but the Mets would rather see the right-hander get his times to the plate down to 1.5 before implementing it.
FAMILIAR FACES
Carlos Beltran is in uniform with the Mets this week in camp as the next guest instructor on the list. The special assistant to president of baseball operations has been making visits to camp since joining the front office in 2023.