July 11: John Hyman from The New York Post Tweets The Braves plan to add Cano to the roster today in advance of their series against Cano’s former Mets teammates.
July 10: The brave have gained a player Robinson Kano From Padres for monetary considerations, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (Twitter link).
Released by the Mets in May, Kanu signed a big league deal with Padres shortly thereafter, but was released again after he turned down the team’s request to go to Triple-A. Kano’s veteran status granted him the right to sign up for free agency, but after checking his options on the open market, he re-signed with San Diego on a minor league deal.
Since reporting to Triple-A El Paso, Cano has done well, posting .333/.375/.479 slashes on 104 panel appearances. While it’s clear that the minor league setup (and the batting-friendly environment) must be taken into account, Kano’s performance gives some hint that he still has something left in the tank at age 39, having missed the entire 2021 season due to a PED suspension. . Hitter Kano is only .149/ .182/ .189 on 77 combined with the Padres and Mets at the MLB level this season.
The Braves clearly saw something they liked, and they will now send Kano back to NL East to see if he can revive his career. Atlanta developed a knack for winning gold over struggling veterans, and just a year ago the club selected several of these players (ie. Eddie RosarioAnd the Jorge SolerAnd the Jock PedersonAnd the Adam Duval) who ended up fueling their run for the world title. As poor as Kano looked earlier this season in New York, Mets fans must have had some fear of Kano suddenly catching on fire and helping the Atlanta overtake the Mets in the East NL.
Atlanta is weak at left-handed batting, and there’s been a vacancy at second base since then Ozzy Albis He will be out until at least mid-August while recovering from foot surgery. On paper, Kano is an interesting species that suits right-handed swiping Orlando Archia On the second base, another right-hand take off in it Marcel Ozuna in the designated hitter.
It wasn’t long ago that Kano was still among the most feared bats in the game, posting a .896 OPS on 182 points per second for the Mets during the brief 2020 season. While his positive PED test inevitably casts some doubt on those numbers, there’s little risk of Atlanta choosing Cano to see what it can contribute. Of the $24 million owed to Cano for the 2022 season, the Braves will have to cover only a prorated portion of the MLB minimum salary once Cano makes the active roster, with the Mariners ($3.75 million) and the Mets covering the rest.
