Mets Sign Mark Canha To Multi-Year Deal

The Mets have been rather busy on this Black Friday, and although they already signed Eduardo Escobar earlier in the evening, they were not quite finished adding players today.

In addition to Escobar, the Mets landed veteran outfielder/first baseman Mark Canha on a two-year, $26.5 million deal that includes a third-year option.

ESPN's Jeff Passan was the first to report on the deal and Joel Sherman of The New York Post had the figures.

Canha has spent the entirety of his big-league career with the Oakland Athletics from 2015-2021. The 32-year-old, who turns 33 in February, can play all three outfield positions and first base as well.

Not to mention, he provides right-handed pop, hitting 17 home runs a season ago, and 26 back in 2019. Canha also posted a 115 wRC+ and 2.6 fWAR in 2021. 

Another plus factor to his skillset is his ability to get on-base, averaging a .344 OBP for his career. Last year, he had a .358 OBP and in '19 he produced a .396 OBP which matches up with Brandon Nimmo's impressive rate.

Ironically, Mets GM Billy Eppler is very familiar with Canha since the two saw each other often in the AL West from 2016-2020. 

Now, the Mets have made two solid moves by signing a versatile and experienced duo in free agency to help fill some of the holes on their roster. Canha and Escobar can also provide much-needed leadership in the clubhouse as well.

The Mets still have their eyes on bigger prizes such as Javier Báez, Starling Marte, Max Scherzer and Kevin Gausman. But today's moves set the table for potential splashes in the coming months.

On an additional note, Canha played college baseball with free agent infielder Marcus Semien at the University of California. He also played with Semien for the Oakland Athletics too. 

In the very least, there is some familiarity there with Semien, who just finished third in the AL MVP race and can play second base.