Mets officially release Robinson Cano
The Mets' Robinson Cano reacts after striking out during the fourth inning of a game against the Phillies on Sept. 7, 2020, at Citi Field. Credit: AP/Adam Hunger
PHILADELPHIA — The inevitable became official Sunday morning: The Mets released Robinson Cano.
That means Cano is a free agent and the Mets formally owe him about $37 million through the end of next season. That amount would be lessened slightly if he signs with another team, which would pay him a prorated portion of the major-league minimum salary ($700,000 this year).
The Mets designated Cano for assignment last Monday, when rosters shrank from 28 to 26 players. They had a week to put him through waivers, after which he was definitively removed from the organization.
On Sunday morning, Cano posted to his social-media pages a highly produced video — of him taking batting practice and fielding ground balls — with the caption: “Never stop. Never settle. #training.”
Cano, 39, intends to keep playing, according to his agent, Roc Nation Sports COO Brodie Van Wagenen (who brought Cano to Flushing when he was the Mets’ general manager). Cano was suspended for all of 2021 after testing positive for steroids, his second violation of MLB’s PED policy. He struggled in a part-time role this year, hitting .195 with a .501 OPS in a dozen games.
Nogo a ‘Yes-go’
Righthanded reliever Stephen Nogosek joined the Mets’ bullpen on Sunday. The Mets technically sent Adonis Medina back to Triple-A Syracuse, but he was active as the 27th man for the second game of the doubleheader.
With Syracuse, Nogosek had a 1.69 ERA and tossed more than one inning — a skill the team values — in four of seven appearances. He had brief stints with the Mets in 2019 and 2021. “He’s got the ability to help us,” manager Buck Showalter said.
After telling Nogosek he was added to the roster, Showalter asked him how to say his last name (nuh-GOH-sick), which had been tripping him up. “Probably why he is called Nogo,” he said. “Today he is Yes-go.”
The Mets wound up not needing to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Nogosek. Sean Reid-Foley, who was diagnosed with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament a week ago, was on the 60-day injured list, not the 10-day, as the team announced.
Extra bases
Drew Smith is up to 12 1/3 scoreless innings in 11 relief appearances . . .The Mets dropped Starling Marte (.696 OPS entering the day) to seventh in the lineup against righthander Kyle Gibson, but Showalter said it was not a “personal reflection of what somebody might think of you.” . . . Showalter on 80-to-1 longshot Rich Strike winning the Kentucky Derby: “There is hope for everybody.” . . . Keith Hernandez returned to SNY’s broadcast Sunday after missing about two weeks because of a medical issue.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
