The New York Mets and Seattle Mariners are closing in on a trade that will send All-Star Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano to the Mets for two players and several prospects. The deal has not been consummated, but is said to be close to being official.
According to SNY’s Andy Martino, Cano and Diaz would be traded for Jay Bruce and Anthony Swarzak. Martino mentions three other players and says a combination of 2-3 of them could go in the deal.
Can report this more definitively: As of now, the not-yet- official Mets Mariners trade on the table is Cano/Diaz for Bruce/Swarzak/Kelenic/McNeil/Dunn
Medicals have not been reviewed. Remember Wilmers’ tears.
— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) November 30, 2018
Cano is owed $120 million over the next five years, so the Mariners were aiming to dump his contract. They’ll end up attaching one of their prized possessions — Diaz — to unload Cano. Diaz led the league with 57 saves last season and had 124 strikeouts in 73.1 innings. He is under team control for four more seasons and won’t enter arbitration until 2020.
Bruce is owed $26 million over the next two seasons, which will offset a small portion of what Cano is owed. Swarzak is owed $8 million next season. The Mariners could also be paying a portion of the money Cano is owed.
Jarred Kelenic was the Mets’ first-round pick this year. The high school outfielder batted .286 with an .839 OPS in rookie ball.
Jeff McNeil, 26, batted .329 in his MLB this season. The infielder had an .852 OPS. He mostly played second base but can also play third.
Justin Dunn was the No. 19 overall pick in 2016. He went 8-8 with a 3.59 ERA last season, spent between High-A and Double-A. He’s a 23-year-old right-handed pitcher out of Boston College.
