View the original article to see embedded media.
After being officially released by the Mets earlier in the week, Robinson Canó has a new home in Major League Baseball. The 39-year-old second baseman will sign with the Padres, the team announced Friday.
Canó, coming off of a full-year suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, struggled mightily to start the year with New York. In 43 plate appearances with the team, he batted just .195 with one home run and three RBIs. He was designated for assignment when MLB rosters were pared down earlier in the month.
The Mets still owe Canó nearly $45 million on his contract over the next two years. The Padres have the opportunity to sign him for just $700,000, the league minimum, for the remainder of 2022.
Two big spenders in recent years, the Mets and Padres are both in the heat of the playoff race early in the 2022 season. New York leads the NL East by 6.5 games at 22–11, while San Diego is 20–12, a game back of the Dodgers in the NL West.
Canó will get his first shot against his former club on June 6, when the Mets travel to San Diego for a three-game series.
