For the Chicago Cubs, designated outfielder Alexander Canario for assignment last month was part of the business of baseball.
The Cubs were able to find a take for him, as they dealt him to the New York Mets.
Well, Canario has certainly show up for the Mets this spring.
In what may be his final appearance with the Mets in spring training on Sunday, the former Cubs top prospect blasted two home runs for the Mets, including a grand slam. Canario went 3-for-4 with five RBI and three runs scored.
It was the capper for a great spring training for the 24-year-old, who finished with a slash line of .314/.429/.629/1.058 with three home runs and eight RBI.
A spring like that would probably lead to a full-time job in the Majors, right? Well, maybe not in his case.
Mets outfielder Alexander Canario has two home runs today, including a grand slam.
Assuming everyone else comes out of the next few days healthy, Canario figures to land back on the waiver wire this week. He’s out of options, and the Mets don’t have a roster spot for him. pic.twitter.com/4f6qe8Lj9e
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) March 23, 2025
It appears that Canario is running into the same problem that he had in Chicago — opportunity. The Mets have a solid outfield as they break camp.
New York has its huge offseason signing, Juan Soto, playing right field. Along with him the Mets have plenty of other talent, including Starling Marte, Brandon Nimmo, Jesse Winker, Jose Siri and Tyrone Taylor.
As MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo pointed out, the Mets are of the belief that their outfielders will be healthy for the season opener. New York has one more spring training game, against their cross-town rivals the New York Yankees, on Monday. After that, the Mets head to Houston to prepare for their opening-day contest with the Astros on March 27.
Canario’s problem with the Mets was the same as his problem with the Cubs when he was DFA’ed — he is out of options. So, New York can’t just send him to Triple-A. If they can’t keep him, they must expose him to waivers, which makes it possible for any other team — including the Cubs — to acquire him.
Would the Cubs bite? Who knows.
Canario was a long-time Top 30 prospects for the Cubs who made his MLB debut in the 2023 season. He spent some time with the Cubs in 2024, but he was not able to stay with the Cubs for a significant amount of time.
In 24 MLB games he had a slash line of .286/.333/.524/.857 with two home runs and eight RBI.
