Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports is reporting that the most recent deal discussed between the Mets and Mariners has Anthony Swarzak and Jay Bruce both included to offset the money of Robinson Cano’s contract (5 years, $120 million).
Passan reports that the deal would also likely include at least two prospects/players. The group of players being discussed has been previously reported as RHP Justin Dunn, OF Jarred Kelenic and INF Jeff McNeil.
The deal that would bring Cano and star closer Edwin Diaz to the Mets is expected to be completed by Friday according to Passan’s sources.
Mike Puma of the New York Post is reporting that the Mets have begun informing players in the deal to the Mariners is completed. Bruce and Swarzak have been told they are in the deal.
Original Report – Nov. 29, 7:35 p.m.
Sources have told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic that the Mets and Mariners are apparently reaching a “critical stage” in their current negotiations of a trade that would bring both Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz to New York.
Rosenthal says that the Mets’ offer consists of a handful of players in a pool that includes Jeff McNeil, Jay Bruce, Anthony Swarzak, Justin Dunn, and Jarred Kelenic. He added, however, that the Mariners are “weighing [the Mets’] proposal against others.”
Per MLB.com‘s Gregg Johns, the discussions “are indeed heating up,” and the consensus around the league is that the deal seems to be “more a matter of who and when now rather than if [the] deal will happen.”
McNeil’s name first surfaced earlier today in a report from Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, and could very well be an important cog in the framework of the deal considering the Mets recently signed Dilson Herrera – clearly in the interest of building depth along the middle of the diamond. Kelenic and Dunn represent two of the Mets’ last three first-round draft picks, ranking as the team’s third and fourth best prospects via MLB Pipeline, respectively.
Although the Mets’ return is undoubtedly loaded with talent, the wild card in the deal is how much the Mets would be willing to give back while most likely absorbing a large portion of Cano’s contract, which will cost $24MM annually for the next five years. With such an albatross falling atop the Mets’ shoulders, their willingness to part with any young pieces is naturally up in the air.
While Rosenthal does not indicate how much salary relief Seattle will be willing to offer, it’s evident that the Mets will not make a deal without support, seeing as Swarzak ($8.5MM for 2019) and Bruce ($14MM per year for two years) have both been featured as potential trade-offs on the financial side of things.
PED bust aside, the 36-year old Cano has missed just 26 games since the 2014 season, saving 8 defensive runs at second base last year despite serving his 80-game suspension, while striking out just 24 times in his last 179 plate appearances upon returning. He had appeared in All-Star games each of the two prior seasons, on the back of a combined 62 homers and 200 RBI that confidently accent a career .304/.355/.493 line across 14 years.
Diaz, 24, has only been in the big leagues for three years, but has averaged over 14 K/9 while combining for 109 saves and a 2.64 ERA/2.46 FIP. He ranks as one of the league’s elite closers at the moment, and comes with five more years of team control.
Joel Sherman of the NY Post says a source with knowledge of the situation told him there’s a possibility that the Mets and Mariners “can cross the finish line” as soon as tonight.
