Why Robinson Canó's Roster Spot With Mets Could Be Safe - For Now

Why Robinson Canó's roster spot with Mets could be safe - for now.

The Mets have a tough decision to make with the deadline to cut rosters down from 28 to 26 players approaching on Monday, May 2.

MLB will allow teams to carry a total of 14 pitchers for an additional month, before the limit reverts back to a maximum of 13 hurlers per team on May 30. As a result, the Mets will likely have to option or cut ties with one position player on their active roster.

This means that Robinson Canó, Dom Smith, J.D. Davis, Luis Guillorme or Travis Jankowski could become the odd man out.

At first glance, it seems like a no-brainer to designate Canó for assignment. Take a quick look at Fangraphs, and you will see that Canó is dwelling in the cellar of the Mets’ roster with -0.4 fWAR.

This should come as no surprise, especially if you’ve seen Canó play at any point so far this season. The now 39-year-old looks like a shell of himself. Through 11 games, the part-time designated hitter/second baseman owns a meager triple slash of .184/.225/.263, a 50 wRC+ and .224 wOBA.

The Mets are coasting to begin the season, as they currently have the best record (14-6) and winning percentage (.700) in all of baseball. They’ve also won the first six series to begin the year.

The hope was that Canó could rebound and give the Mets some semblance of the player he once was. Unfortunately, that hasn’t come to fruition as it’s now clear that missing a full year after being slapped with his second steroid suspension, combined with his age is a recipe for disaster.

But the Mets are in a bit of a predicament, as Canó is owed $40.5 million through this year and next. Obviously, Steve Cohen is one of the wealthiest owners in sports, but $40.5 million is $40.5 million and 11 games is still a small sample size for the team to make the drastic decision to cut bait with Canó.

Instead, the Mets could essentially give Canó additional time to prove himself by optioning Smith, Davis or Guillorme to the minors. Jankowski, who has brought value with his speed on the base paths, small ball ability at the plate and strong defense as a backup outfielder, is out of options. Jankowski would also be owed his entire $1.25 million salary if the Mets were to release him. Guillorme is the Mets' only backup shortstop on the roster and Davis is the lone right-handed bat on the bench, plus has served as a DH on a semi-regular basis. This means that the left-handed hitting Smith, who is a first baseman/DH and can play the outfield in a pinch, could be the one that gets sent down due to a lack of fit on the roster. 

Smith has gotten off to a slow start offensively, going 6-for-33 across 17 games this season. On the bright side, the 26-year-old could potentially find some rhythm at the plate by playing every day in the minors, before returning to the big-leagues when the team has to remove a pitcher from the roster on May 30. On the other hand, it could hurt his confidence as he has already made it clear of his desire to be an every day player in the major leagues. 

While it certainly isn’t ideal that Canó’s spot is now affecting the spot of another more valuable bench piece, his bloated salary and lack of options gives him an advantage. 

The Mets have yet to indicate what they plan to do when roster cutdowns arrive on Monday, but it appears that the club might stick with Canó for now. However, if he can't find a way to figure things out, this could soon change as the weather warms up in New York. In the meantime, if the Mets decide to keep Canó come Monday, it will be costly in the near future, as it means another position player likely gets optioned to the minor leagues as we ascend into May. 

Read More: 

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- Benches Clear Between Mets-Cardinals After Tensions Reach Boiling Point For HBPs

- Mets Rip Into MLB For League-Leading Hit By Pitch Count

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