The New York Mets, who last week made the biggest free agent splash in baseball history, are on the verge of making a small but important addition to their roster.
Right-hander Griffin Canning, who was non-tendered by the Atlanta Braves in November, is in agreement with the Mets on a one-year, $4.25 million contract pending a physical according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Free-agent right-hander Griffin Canning in agreement with Mets on one-year, $4.25M contract, pending physical, sources tell @TheAthletic. Deal includes $1M in potential bonuses. The Braves acquired Canning from the Angels in the Jorge Soler trade, then non-tendered him.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 19, 2024
Canning, 28, went 6-13 with a 5.19 ERA in 32 games (31 starts) for the Angels in 2024. He is 25-34 with a 4.78 ERA (92 ERA+) in five major league seasons, all with the Angels, who drafted him in the second round out of UCLA in 2017.
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The Angels traded Canning to the Braves in October in exchange for slugger Jorge Soler. Atlanta immediately cut Canning, making him a free agent, rather than tender him a contract for 2025.
Canning goes to a Mets team that saw left-handers Sean Manaea and Jose Quintana reach free agency after helping the team reach the National League Championship Series in 2024.
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Soto’s 15-year, $765 million contract — a record in professional sports history — stole headlines and robbed the intracity rival Yankees of one of their key cogs from their 2024 World Series run.
But the Mets finalized the contract last Wednesday knowing they still had plenty of work to do to improve their roster. First up: the starting rotation.
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Kodai Senga, their best starter when healthy, was limited to four games last season due to injuries. David Peterson went 10-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 21 starts in 2024 but was 12-19 in the three seasons prior. Trade deadline acquisition Paul Blackburn, and free agent signees Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes, round out the Mets’ rotation on paper.
Canning could provide necessary depth in case of injuries, or if Holmes’ conversion from the bullpen to the starting rotation does not go as hope. He also immediately becomes the youngest pitcher in the group, despite having debuted in 2019.
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An Orange County native, Canning’s tenure in Anaheim was defined by inconsistency. Injuries limited him to 18 games and 90.1 innings as a rookie, but he posted a 4.58 ERA (101 ERA+) to earn another shot at the rotation in 2020.
The COVID-19 shortened season saw Canning pitch 56.1 innings across 11 games and record a career-best 3.99 ERA (114 ERA+) and collect the American League Gold Glove Award after the season.
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Canning was optioned to Triple-A midway through a 2021 season that saw him go 5-4 with a 5.60 ERA in 14 games (13 starts). A back injury sidelined Canning for all of 2022.
The last two seasons have seen Canning throw 127 and 171.2 innings, respectively, suggesting he could carry an innings-eater’s workload in pitcher-friendly Citi Field for the Mets in 2025.
More to come on this story from Newsweek Sports.
