Mets sign former award-winning pitcher in free agency
Mar 26, 2022; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; The New York Mets logo stands in center field before the game against the Washington Nationals at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
After forking over $765 million earlier this offseason for Juan Soto, the New York Mets are now adding a guy who is a good amount cheaper than that.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported on Wednesday that the Mets have agreed to sign free agent starting pitcher Griffin Canning on a one-year, $4.25 million deal. Canning’s contract also comes with $1 million in potential incentives, Rosenthal adds.
The righty Canning, 28, spent the first five seasons of his MLB career with the Los Angeles Angels and won a Gold Glove Award with them in 2020. But he was set back by a stress fracture in his back that cost him all of the 2022 season. Canning also had a forgettable year in 2024, going 6-13 with a 5.19 ERA. That included a career-low 6.9 strikeouts per nine innings as well as an AL-leading 99 earned runs allowed.
Canning was traded by the Angels in October to the Atlanta Braves as a part of the Jorge Soler deal and was then non-tendered by the Braves just a few weeks later, making him a free agent. Now the Mets will be taking a chance on Canning as a reclamation project after a higher-upside pitcher who was also on their radar recently got away.
