What Can Mets Expect From Robinson Cano in 2020?

The Mets acquired Robinson Cano last offseason with the hopes that both he and Edwin Diaz would substantially improve the club. Unfortunately, neither one proved to be productive members of the 2019 Mets roster.

At 37-years-old, it will be interesting to see whether Cano can turn back the clock and become a vital component of the lineup in 2020.

Given his previously mentioned age, expectations for the left-handed hitter have to be tempered after he had a 0.8 fWAR this past season.

That being said, there are some encouraging signs for Cano going into 2020, especially related to his season splits.

In the first half, the second baseman struggled mightily with a lowly .646 OPS and 72 wRC+ over his first 63 games wearing blue and orange.

However, he picked it up in the second half with a .880 OPS and 126 wRC+ over his final 42 games in 2019 as he started to play at the level many had been accustomed to over his 15 seasons in the league.

Obviously, it’s very possible that he produces more like the first-half version of himself than the second half one going forward, but at least he was trending in the right direction as the season wore on.

Cano’s biggest concern going forward might be his health, which was never an issue for him in the past. In 2019, he only appeared in 107 games as he missed time with left quad and hamstring strains.

The good news for the Mets is that the presence of Jeff McNeil allows for Cano to get the rest he might very well need at times in 2020 and gives them a back-up plan in case Cano sustains an injury.

Defensively, Cano is likely never going to revert back to the elite defender he once was at the keystone. In 804 1/3 innings last season, he had -6 DRS and a -0.8 UZR at the position.

While he could certainly get closer to his 2018 defensive stats there (4 DRS and a 2.8 UZR), his days of Gold Glove-caliber defense are almost certainly over.

His ability to make routine plays shouldn’t diminish, but his range certainly will decline as he continues to age.

Reasonably speaking, if the Mets don’t rely on Cano to play 162 games, he could very well flourish and be a strong presence in the middle of the order in 2020.