Mets Claim Christian Cairo

The Phillies announced Tuesday that infielder Christian Cairo, whom they designated for assignment over the weekend, has been claimed off waivers by the division-rival Mets. The Mets haven’t yet announced the move, but they already have an open 40-man spot after recently designating reliever Chris Devenski for assignment.

Cairo, 25, was Cleveland’s fourth-round pick in 2019 but signed for an overslot bonus just shy of $1MM. He signed with the Phillies as a minor league free agent this past winter and was added to the 40-man roster at the end of spring training. Philadelphia immediately optioned him upon selecting his contract, however, and Cairo has yet to play in the majors.

Instead, the versatile Cairo has spent the entire season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He leads the league in walks and has drawn a free pass more often than he’s struck out (17.4% to 14.7%). He’s hitting just .227 with virtually no power though, leading to a .227/.378/.298 batting line in 516 trips to the plate. The righty-swinging Cairo has just four homers, 15 doubles and a triple on the year. He’s swiped 25 bags but also been caught 11 times. Cairo has played second base, shortstop, third base, left field and center field this year, showing plenty of defensive versatility to go along with his contact-oriented approach in the batter’s box.

Scouting reports on Cairo tout him as a plus infield defender with good speed but bottom-of-the-scale power and a shaky hit tool. This year’s addition to the 40-man roster was the first of his career, so he was given a full slate of three minor league option years at the time. He’s burned one of those this year and will have two option years remaining beyond the current campaign. The Mets could look to keep him around as a versatile depth option, but Cairo also isn’t a lock to survive the offseason on the 40-man roster for one of the game’s highest-payroll clubs as it looks to retool and take aim at a return to postseason play next year.