PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Within the first inning of the Mets’ first simulated recreation on Wednesday, Robinson Cano took a pitch off the shoulder from David Peterson. “We’re on the identical crew!” J.D. Davis hollered from the on-deck circle, and everybody laughed. Cano stayed within the field and hung in in opposition to a breaking ball, pulling it foul however swinging with confidence.
“These are the little stuff you search for,” Supervisor Buck Showalter stated. “He’s competing. He’s bought that look in his eye. I’ve discovered by the years, don’t promote guys like him brief. He’s bought a reasonably good pedigree.”
Cano’s pedigree is glittering: He’s a .303 profession hitter, and no second baseman in historical past can match his totals in each residence runs (334) and hits (2,624). He’s additionally a two-time steroids offender, suspended for 80 video games in 2018 and all 162 final yr. At 39 years outdated, he’s right here as a relic of a earlier regime that believed in him.
A lot has modified for the Mets since Cano final performed for them, with a quick renaissance in 2020 — a .316 common and 10 homers in 49 video games, a return to his Yankees prime that now appears wholly illusory. The Mets have gotten a brand new proprietor since then (Steven A. Cohen), a brand new basic supervisor (Billy Eppler), a brand new supervisor (Showalter), and a bunch of gamers who’ve made Cano an afterthought.
With Showalter’s blessing, Cano addressed the crew at the beginning of spring coaching, apologizing for his absence final season. His public contrition got here in a small convention room off the media lounge on Wednesday, with solely the same old group of reporters available. We’ve all been by this earlier than, in spite of everything — Cano included.
He was there in 2009 along with his Yankees teammates, beneath a tent befitting the circus environment at spring coaching in Tampa, Fla., when Alex Rodriguez made his personal tortured apology. Rodriguez had been revealed as a former steroid person, within the period earlier than testing, and he requested folks to evaluate him from that time ahead. Then he cheated once more.
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How may Cano, who was then simply 26, have discovered nothing from Rodriguez’s ordeal? Or perhaps he discovered that medicine may help rework an excellent participant right into a extremely paid famous person. No matter he took from A-Rod’s instance, Cano wasn’t saying. He clung tightly to his script.
“I believe one of the best lesson you’ll be able to have is from your self, while you make errors your self,” stated Cano, who supplied no insights into what led him to make use of Stanozolol, an unsophisticated and simply detectable anabolic steroid developed within the Sixties.
“There’s no why or how,” he stated. “There’s no excuses for that. All I do know is that I can’t dwell prior to now. Simply transfer on any more and simply go on the market and maintain being the identical Robbie Cano that I’ve at all times been.”
That’s the issue with baseball’s steroid guys: Can they actually be the identical as they’ve at all times been with out the substitute enhance? Only a few ever say after they began dishonest or what distinction it made. Groups and followers should assume that when a participant serves his suspension, he learns to cease the habits that prompted it. However — don’t ya know? — you’ll be able to by no means ensure.
Whereas a former Mets basic supervisor (Brodie Van Wagenen, Cano’s former, and present, agent) engineered the commerce with Seattle for Cano, Eppler made a four-year, $78 million wager that Starling Marte was clear. Marte, 33, served an 80-game drug suspension with Pittsburgh in 2017 and has remained an elite participant. Final season, with Miami and Oakland, he had a career-high .383 on-base share and led the majors in stolen bases, with 47.
Marte has been slowed by an indirect harm these days and has not been cleared to swing within the batting cage. However Cano appears prepared, after hitting .344 in 17 video games within the Dominican Winter League.
“I put together myself,” he stated. “I stayed residence this complete yr, coaching on daily basis, Monday to Friday, and I used to be doing various things that I’ve by no means achieved prior to now to organize myself, to have the ability to be wholesome and are available out right here and maintain acting at a excessive stage.”
Showalter stated Cano may play at second, designated hitter and first base, however he wouldn’t say how usually he plans to make use of him. The Mets are deep in on a regular basis gamers, with 5 infielders who may fill on a regular basis roles for many groups: Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Francisco Lindor, Eduardo Escobar and Davis. Additionally they have 4 such outfielders: Marte, Mark Canha, Brandon Nimmo and Dom Smith, who homered twice off Max Scherzer in Wednesday’s simulated recreation.
Cano is extraneous, making you surprise why he’s right here, moreover having a contract that runs by 2023. Showalter — such a stickler for the fitting option to play that he nonetheless wears old school stirrups — would appear to have no use for a two-time violator of baseball’s drug coverage.
“It might look sort of egocentric from the standpoint of, properly, what are we purported to do, not play him?” Showalter stated. “Beat up on him on daily basis? What’s the return there? He’s carrying our colours.”
He continued: “Speaking to Robbie, the factor he felt worst about was not being there for the membership, for the crew, and I select to consider him. Have I sat down and stated, ‘Why did you do it? What drove you and all that stuff?’ I’ve some curiosity, however now’s not the time for it.”
Davis was proper: They’re on the identical crew. No motive to overthink it. If Cano has something left to supply — then, hey, welcome again.
