Mariners send Cano, Diaz to Mets in 7-player blockbuster
The New York Mets and Seattle Mariners have officially completed a blockbuster deal that will send second baseman Robinson Cano, closer Edwin Diaz, and $20 million to Flushing for five players, the Mariners announced.
In exchange, the Mariners will receive outfielder Jay Bruce, reliever Anthony Swarzak, outfield prospect Jarred Kelenic, and right-handed pitching prospects Justin Dunn and Gerson Bautista.
The $20 million going to the Mets reportedly won't be in a lump sum. The Mariners will send $5 million in 2019 and $3.75 million in each of the following four seasons, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
The introductory press conference for Cano and Diaz is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday at Citi Field.
Cano, 36, missed 80 games during the 2018 campaign due to a performance-enhancing drug suspension. The eight-time All-Star posted a .303/.374/.471 slash line with 10 home runs over 348 plate appearances. Among second basemen with at least 100 plate appearances, Cano was the second-best hitter in the majors by FanGraphs with a wRC+ of 136, behind only Jeff McNeil, who'll now be his teammate. The two-time Gold Glove winner and five-time Silver Slugger is owed $120 million over the next five seasons.
The 24-year-old Diaz is fresh off winning the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year award. The right-handed flamethrower led all of baseball in saves with 57 and games finished with 65 while posting a remarkable 1.96 ERA and 1.61 FIP over 73 1/3 innings in 2018. Diaz is under team control for the next four seasons.
Heading back the other way, the Mariners will add 31-year-old Bruce. The three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger played only 94 games during an injury-shortened 2018 campaign, posting a .223/.310/.370 slash line with nine home runs. The outfielder has two years and $28 million remaining on his current contract.
Swarzak, 33, is also coming off an injury-plagued season, posting a 6.15 ERA and 5.48 FIP over 26 1/3 innings. The right-hander had a breakout campaign in 2017, boasting a 2.33 ERA and 2.74 FIP over 77 1/3 innings between both the Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers. Swarzak has one year and $8.5 million remaining on his current deal.
Kelenic, who was drafted sixth overall by the Mets in the 2018 MLB Draft, is the highest-ranked prospect heading to Seattle in the deal. MLB Pipeline rates the 19-year-old as the 62nd-best prospect in baseball. He posted a .839 OPS with six home runs and 15 stolen bases in 56 games as an 18-year-old in rookie ball last season.
Dunn, 23, is the 89th-best prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, and was the No. 4 farmhand in the Mets' system. The right-handed starter owned a 4.22 ERA and 3.37 FIP over 89 2/3 innings in his first full season at Double-A last year.
Bautista, 23, was the Mets' No. 30 prospect heading into the 2018 season. He allowed six earned runs on eight hits and five walks over 4 1/3 innings of work in the majors last year. In 31 appearances out of the bullpen at Triple-A, Bautista struggled to a 5.22 ERA and 9.4 percent walk rate, despite posting an impressive 28.1 percent strikeout rate.