There will be no New York homecoming for one veteran hitter.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Saturday that free agent outfielder Mark Canha has agreed to join the Milwaukee Brewers. It is a minor league deal with an invite to major league Spring Training, Heyman adds.
Canha, 36, had been unsigned to this point of the offseason after hitting .242 last season between the Detroit Tigers and the San Francisco Giants. The righty hitter was also recently linked to a possible reunion with the New York Mets, whom he played for from 2022-23. But with the Mets recently bringing back Pete Alonso on a lucrative new deal, the need for Canha, who can play first base as well, might not have been there any longer.
Instead, Canha will be reuniting with the Brewers, his MLB club for a brief part of the 2023 season. Assuming that Canha makes the Opening Day roster, he could platoon with lefty-hitting Milwaukee right fielder Sal Frelick or provide another option at DH behind Christian Yelich, who is another lefty hitter.
The Brewers are coming off a 93-win season and their third division crown in the past four years. But they would be eliminated by the Mets in the NL Wild Card series, and a rivalry certainly seems to be brewing there.
Earlier this month, the Mets faithful saw one of their former fan favorites land with a division rival in a coaching capacity. Now Canha, who had his moments here and there while in New York, has decided to join a rival team too.
