New York Mets: Robinson Cano’s return only prompts more questions

Who will the New York Mets add to their lineup in time for the 2022 season? While there are plenty of options in free agency, there’s also a player already under contract who will return to the team next season hoping to make a positive impact: Robinson Cano.

Newsday New York Mets beat writer Tim Healey reminded Mets fans in this article (subscription required) that the 39-year-old Cano will return to the team and be ready for spring training after being suspended for the entire 2021 campaign after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug (PED). It was the second PED suspension for Cano, who missed 80 games during the 2018 campaign while he was a member of the Seattle Mariners after testing positive for a diuretic.

What will the return of Robinson Cano mean for the New York Mets?

He is slated to earn $24 million in the upcoming season as well as in 2023 as a 10-year, $240 million contract enters its final phases. After forfeiting his salary in 2021, those numbers are ones that the Mets will be taking into consideration as they continue to build their offseason strategy.

Cano is expected to spend the majority of his time at second base and (if implemented as expected) designated hitter with the Mets in 2022. Last season, Jeff McNeil played 79 games at second base while Jose Peraza spent 36 games at the position and Javier Baez was there for 35 games.

With Cano coming back this season, will that mean the Mets will be less likely to bring Baez (now a free agent) back? It’s one of the many questions facing the Mets this offseason, and those questions include if Cano could spend some time at third base this season as Mets general manager Sandy Alderson suggested might be the case at the recent MLB general manager meetings.

That’s just one of the questions surrounding Cano however. How long will it take for Cano to mend any fences and gain trust after his second PED suspension? How will Cano’s return impact clubhouse chemistry? Can Cano stay healthy after appearing in just 107 games in his last full 162-game schedule in 2019? What can Cano bring to the team at the age of 39? Can the eight-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger continue to be a force at the plate as he was in his limited 2020 season (.316/.352/.544 and an OPS+ of 142 in 183 plate appearances)?

These are just some of the questions facing Cano and the Mets when spring training opens in 2022 and swirling in the background of what should be a very interesting offseason for a team hoping to return to the postseason for the first time since 2016.