Mets: 3 players Steve Cohen wants to get rid of, but can’t

1. Robinson Cano, 2B

Robinson Cano was the other portion of that late-2018 trade with the Seattle Mariners. Specifically, the Mets took on Cano’s huge contract to land Diaz as their closer. This was one of the first moves made by Van Wagenen, who was fired following the 2020 season.

Cano’s first year with the Mets was underwhelming, as he recorded a .256 batting average, .736 OPS, 13 home runs and 39 RBI in 107 games. Yet, the veteran second baseman was one of the bright spots on the team in the truncated 2020 season, in which he slashed .316/.352/.544 while posting 10 home runs, 30 RBI and 54 hits in 49 games.

As for this season, Cano was not on the roster, as he was handed a 162-game suspension for failing a drug test, as he tested positive for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing drug.

Cano will be part of the team in 2022, mostly due to the fact that he is owed $48 million for the next two seasons ($24 million annually). That will be hard to trade to another team and is a costly buyout.