Former fan favorite Mark Canha was offered a “non-guaranteed” deal to return to the Mets, Jon Heyman from the New York Post reported. Canha spent the last two seasons with the Detroit Tigers and the San Francisco Giants but his offseason has been pretty quiet.
Spring training is right around the corner and the Mets are trying to fill out their bench with players. In 2023, the Mets traded Canha’s to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitching Justin Jarvis, and now they’re looking to bring him back.
Canha has played both corner infield and outfield positions. He posted +2 Outs Above Average (OAA) at first base, +1 OAA in left field, and -1 OAA in right field in 2024.
Canha reportedly told NJ Advance Media that he hasn’t gotten any calls during his offseason. This could be partly due to Canha’s age and decline in batting average and slugging percentage. His expected batting average fell from .248 to .212 last season, and his expected slugging percentage dropped from .381 to .306.
The Mets also reportedly expressed interest in both Teoscar Hernández, and Jurickson Profar, before they signed their respective free agent deals in L.A. and Atlanta. Hernández and Profar are amongst the better outfielders who have already been signed to other teams.
Canhas will probably not be as impactful as Hernández or Profar, which is most likely why the Mets only offered a “non-guaranteed” deal. Canha may not launch 15+ home runs anymore, but he can still provide a complementary role to the team.
