The New York Mets were expected to have an eventful offseason this past winter, and did they ever. They signed the top free agent available in Juan Soto on a 15-year, $765 million contract while also retaining first baseman Pete Alonso. So far this season, Alonso is playing like the favorite for the NL MVP award, while Soto is beginning to break out after a quiet first month with the Mets. Besides that, the Mets are in first place in the National League East division, and have one of the best records in the entire NL.
Besides the signings of Soto and Alonso, there was one more that Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns made that has paid off and helped save their season. That player, is starting pitcher Griffin Canning.
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Mets' underrated signing of Griffin Canning has helped climb National League rankings
Stearns has shown his willingness to take chances on starting pitchers who won't command a gigantic contract. He did so with Canning, who was coming off of an abysmal 2024 season with the Los Angeles Angels, where he allowed an American League-high 99 earned runs, while posting a 5.19 ERA. On a one-year, $4.5 million contract, it can be considered a bargain, compared to what other starting pitchers earn.
For the Mets, they watched their starting rotation get depleted by the day during spring training. Sean Manaea, who signed a three-year, $75 million contract to stay with the Mets, suffered a right oblique strain during spring training, sidelining him for the start of the season. Then Frankie Montas, one of the team's other starting pitching signings this winter, suffered a high-grade right lat strain, also keeping him sidelined for the start of the season. With that, the Mets didn't make any panic moves in free agency or on the trade block, as they placed faith in their pitching staff as constructed.
Canning has easily been the bright spot for the Mets' success to start the year. Entering Saturday's game against the Yankees, Canning held a 2.36 ERA, a 1.262 WHIP, 42 strikeouts, and 16 walks in 42.0 innings. In the Mets' 3-2 win over the Yankees on May 17, Canning allowed two earned runs on seven hits (two home runs) while recording four strikeouts and one walk in 5.2 innings.
So, after this latest outing, Canning has a 2.47 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP in nine starts. Those are really good numbers for a starting pitcher who, realistically, slotted into the back-end of the rotation if Manaea and Montas were healthy at the start of the year.
Stearns and the Mets were justified in not making a panic move for a starting pitcher because the rotation has more than held their own, as it is one of th best in all of the majors.