Mets sign Griffin Canning

The Mets agree Griffin Canning Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reports that he has agreed to a one-year, $4.25 million free agent deal. The contract, which is pending finalization, includes an additional $1 million in performance bonuses.

Technically, this will be Canning’s third team of the offseason. The Angels traded him to the Braves in a one-for-one trade Jorge Soler within hours of the trading market reopening. As MLBTR’s Steve Adams pointed out at the time, Canning wasn’t a player who could stay in Atlanta for more than a few weeks. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz predicted Canning would receive a salary of $5.1 million in his final season as an umpire. The Braves balked at that price and didn’t offer it last month, saying the trade involved forgoing the final two years of Soler’s contract.

Canning thus became a free agent for the first time in his career. The 28-year-old is headed to Queens and should apply for a rotation job. Canning has more than five years of service and cannot be sent to the minors without his consent. He will be on the MLB roster in some capacity, but it is possible he will be pushed into long relief early in 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 fast-moving college arm who had a chance to land in the middle of the rotation. Canning reached the major leagues within two years but struggled to find consistency. As a rookie, he posted a 4.58 earned run average over 90 1/3 innings. His best season came during the abbreviated 2020 schedule, when he posted a 3.99 mark in 11 starts.

This remains Canning’s only score below 4.00. Opponents marked him for a 5.60 ERA in 14 MLB appearances in 2021, leading to the Halos optioning him to Triple-A. He landed on the injured list almost immediately with a stress reaction in his lower back. This continued the following year and ultimately cost him the entire 2022 season.

At the time, it looked like injuries might derail his career. His back was the most affected, but he also struggled with recurring elbow pain between 2019 and 2020. Luckily, Canning has managed to stay mostly healthy over the last two seasons. He landed on the injured list twice in 2023, although both appearances were minimal appearances related to minor leg issues. Canning has avoided the IL entirely this year. However, its effectiveness has waned.

Canning posted a 4.32 ERA in 127 innings two seasons ago. It was a struggle this year, as he allowed 5.19 earned runs per nine in a career-high 171 2/3 frames. His strikeout rate fell to a personal low of 17.6%, more than eight points below last year’s 25.9%. Walks went up a few notches while his swinging strike rate dropped from 12.8% to a league average of 11%.

More will follow.