The defining trade of Brodie Van Wagenen's tenure as the general manager of the New York Mets still doesn't look good. However, the outlook on the trade perhaps isn't as bleak as it was at the conclusion of the 2019 season.
Edwin Diaz does have a 2.16 ERA in nine games, a vast improvement over the 5.59 mark he posted in his first season in Queens. That said, he's no longer closing games after an early-season blown lead, and you don't get the sense that his tenure with the Mets will end with many fond memories.
The real reason that the outlook on the deal perhaps isn't as bleak as it was a season ago is because Robinson Canó is off to a pretty incredible start to his second season with the Mets.
To say the last two years have been disastrous for Canó probably wouldn't hyperbole. In 2018, he did slash .303/.374/.471 with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs in just 80 games for the Seattle Mariners, but was limited to half a season because of an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use. In 2019, his first season with the Mets, Canó, a career .303 hitter, hit just .256, an extremely disappointing development when paired with Diaz's struggles.
Though Diaz didn't seize the closer's role early on for Luis Rojas' club, Canó looks rejuvenated in 2020. He homered twice in Monday's victory over the Miami Marlins, part of three home runs that he's hit in just 17 at-bats since being activated from the injured list because of a groin strain:
In total, Canó has used his sweet swing to jump out to a .412/.446/.706 slash line through his first 51 at-bats of 2020. Perhaps it's too soon to jump to any sweeping conclusions, but Canó has already been worth more fWAR (0.9) in his first 15 games of 2020 than he was all of 2019, when he finished with a 0.8 fWAR in 107 games. Despite having played in just 15 games, Canó has a higher fWAR in 2020 than Ketel Marte and Ronald Acuña Jr., two players who finished in the top five in National League MVP voting in 2019 and have played more games than Canó in 2020.
Canó has started three games as a DH this season, which isn't an insignificant development. Right now, Canó may still view himself as a second baseman. That said, the 37-year-old had -6 defensive runs saved a year ago, and already has -1 in 2020. He probably should be a DH right now, and he'll almost certainly be seen as someone that's an exclusive DH option (assuming Pete Alonso is still at first base) in two or three seasons. If the National League adopts the DH on a permanent basis after 2020, that's undoubtedly good news for Canó and the Mets.
If Van Wagenen and the Mets could have a mulligan on the trade that allowed them to acquired Canó and Diaz from the Seattle Mariners in December of 2018, they would almost certainly take it. Diaz has largely been a disaster in his time with the Mets, and the club sent outfielder Jarred Kelenic - now the No. 13 prospect in baseball - back to the Mariners in the deal.
Truth be told, the Mets would love to be off the hook for the $72 million that Canó is owed over the next three seasons, even given how hot his bat has been to start the 2020 season. Given that he has a no-trade clause, though, it's very likely that he'll finish his storied career with the Mets. The first 15 games of his 2020 season indicate that he's still going to be a very productive offensive player over that period.
Related
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow RADIO.COM Sports
Twitter I Facebook I Instagram