Robinson Cano’s 168-game Mets tenure officially came to an end on Sunday with the team releasing him, making the 39-year-old second baseman a free agent.
The decision comes one week after the Mets designated Cano for assignment with the need to cut their roster from 28 players to 26 while eating the remaining $44.7 million that was left on his bloated contract that expires next season.
Cano was acquired from the Seattle Mariners by former Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen in 2018 alongside closer Edwin Diaz in a deal headlined by New York sending one of its top prospects in outfielder Jarred Kelenic out west.
While the veteran was on track for a Hall of Fame career, a previous 81-game suspension in 2018 for performance-enhancing drugs was followed by a year-long suspension in 2021 for another positive test.
During his time on the field, he struggled to live up to previous All-Star outputs, batting just .279 with 24 home runs and 72 RBI over those 168 games. The decision to cut him last week was made even easier with his difficult start to the 2022 season, slashing .195/.233/.268 (.501 OPS) with one home run and three RBI.
