Mets Add Another Starter, Sign Righthander Griffin Canning In One-Year, $4.25 Million Deal

The New York Mets signed righthanded pitcher Griffin Canning to a one-year, $4.25 million deal on Wednesday. Canning made 31 starts with the Los Angeles Angels last season, earning a 6-13 record and 5.19 ERA.

Beyond the obviously titanic $765 million contract the Mets gave slugging outfielder Juan Soto, most of the team’s moves this off-season have been nuanced depth moves. Canning is expected to serve as a spot-starter in New York. He is the typical sort of project favored by Mets General Manager David Stearns, who signed struggling starters Sean Manaea and Luis Severino to short-term deals and reaped significant benefits last season.

Canning is coming off a rough year with the Los Angeles Angels, but it was also his first full season in an injury-riddled career. In his previous four years with Los Angeles, he had only surpassed 100 innings in a season once, and has gradually become more durable as he has advanced in the league. 

If Canning can improve and develop with coaching in New York, he may have a prime opportunity to earn starts in the rotation. The team is still expected to sign a premier starter, but the names currently ahead of Canning do not form an awe-inspiring unit on paper. 

Kodai Senga, David Peterson and new righthander Frankie Montas form a solid trio, but the picture from there is unclear. Longtime Yankees closer Clay Holmes is reportedly slotted as the fourth starter for now. Beyond him, Paul Blackburn, Tylor Megill and Jose Butto will likely vie for time on the mound in spring training. Canning could easily join that race if he can take a step forward on his West Coast form.

With several months remaining in the off-season, the Mets still have a lot of moving pieces to either secure or replace. The team is reportedly in contact with Manaea, the resurgent ace last season, and Pete Alonso, the slugger who could blaze a devastating trail in a lineup with Soto. Signing Soto was a massive win for the front office, but there are still big moves that need to be made before the team can gain any direction in 2025.