Fantasy Baseball 2019: Mets Trade For Cano, Diaz

The Mets made a big move to start December as they traded for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz. How will this move affect all players’ fantasy baseball value?

The Seattle Mariners had a rough final two months, causing them to miss the playoffs. This forced the front office to make a decision regarding their future and decided to go with a complete tear down. Their most recent trade saw them ship closer Edwin Diaz and second baseman Robinson Cano to the New York Mets for Jay Bruce, relievers Anthony Swarzak and Gerson Bautista and two prospects. How does this move affect their fantasy baseball values in 2019?

Diaz put on a spectacular season last year, recording 57 saves in 61 opportunities. He finished with a 1.96 ERA, 0.791 WHIP, 15.2 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9. Pitching for a team that averaged 4.18 runs per game, Diaz was able to close out almost every game he pitched in.

Now pitching for the Mets this season, his save opportunities may be few and far between. The Mets averaged 4.17 runs per game. We saw how poorly the offense supported Jacob deGrom with his 10-9 record, the fewest wins for an NL Cy Young winner since closer Eric Gagne in 2003.

The Mets don’t have the strongest bullpen. Jeurys Familia was traded halfway through the season and their main options were former starting pitchers Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman. Diaz will be the workhorse of the bullpen so volume will be there. I just don’t think he gets close to 57 saves.

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The Mets have an interesting decision to make about where Cano plays. Towards the end of the season, they were playing Jeff McNeil at second. Though he was rumored to be a part of the deal, he will stay in New York.

They could move Cano to first base as it’s an obvious need for them. However, that will delay the call up of prospect Peter Alonso. McNeil could move to third base and platoon with Todd Frazier or could be a bench option.

This lineup has its shortcomings but there are more than enough good pieces for Cano to find success. The Mariners lineup wasn’t the best either and Cano finished with a .303/10 HR/50 RBI line in 80 games.

The Mariners get their Nelson Cruz replacement in Bruce. Ryon Healy is locked at first base and the outfield is full with Mitch Haniger, Ben Gamel and Mallex Smith. Bruce played in just 94 games and hit .223 with nine home runs and 37 RBI.

Swarzak finished with a 6.15 ERA and 1.595 WHIP in 27.0 innings. Bautista pitched in 4.1 innings last season. Though, he had a 3.12 ERA throughout his minor league career.

Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn are the two prospects involved in the deal. They are former first-round picks. Kelenic hit .286 with six triples, six home runs and 42 RBI in rookie ball. He also recorded 15 steals in 16 attempts. He’s a couple of years away but the Mariners have their future center fielder.

As for Dunn, he threw a 3.59 ERA and 1.330 WHIP between 135.1 High-A and Double-A innings last season. He had a 10.4 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9. I could see Dunn making an appearance in the second half of 2019 and becoming a full-time member in 2020.

Cano should perform as a top-10 second baseman in New York. Diaz drops out of my top-five closer discussion and falls closer to 10. Bruce will hit for power as the DH. Swarzak and Bautista just fill out the bullpen.

Kelenic and Dunn are targets in dynasty leagues with the latter closer to MLB action. This was a big trade due to the names and money involved. There is some fantasy baseball impact but this trade is about the Mariners future.