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Jorge Castillo
The New York Mets have traded outfielder Alexander Canario to the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash considerations, the Pirates announced Monday.
Canario was designated for assignment Thursday hours before the Mets’ season opener. He had traveled with the club from spring training in Florida to Houston last week to participate in the Mets’ workout Wednesday, but the team’s outfield glut rendered him a long shot to make the roster.
The Pirates moved right-hander Jared Jones (elbow) to the 60-day injured list to make room on their 40-man roster for Canario.
New York’s Opening Day roster included six outfielders: Juan Soto, Brandon Nimmo, Tyrone Taylor, Jose Siri, Starling Marte and Jesse Winker. Despite a strong camp, there just wasn’t room for Canario, who was out of minor league options.
Jose Azocar, another outfielder, was also designated for assignment by the Mets on Thursday. The 28-year-old Azocar, however, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse.
Canario’s combination of youth — he’s 24 years old — and tools made him attractive to other teams. The right-handed hitter, who was sent from the San Francisco Giants to the Chicago Cubs in July 2021 as part of a trade for Kris Bryant, made his major league debut with the Cubs in 2023. He appeared in 21 games for the team over the past two seasons, batting .286 with two home runs and two doubles in 45 plate appearances.
The Cubs designated Canario for assignment in late February to make room on their 40-man roster for Justin Turner. The Mets acquired Canario for cash days later. He reported straight to Port St. Lucie, where he slashed .306/.419/.611 with three home runs in 17 spring training games. He’ll now be with his third organization in just over a month.
