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.

The Atlanta Braves kicked off the MLB off-season with a bang Thursday, trading away veteran designated hitter Jorge Soler to the Los Angeles Angels. In return, the Braves received young right-handed pitcher Griffin Canning.

Soler, who batted .241 in 2024 with 21 home runs and 64 RBIs, has bounced around a number of teams in recent years and still has some pop at age 32. His best years may be behind him, but he can provide some power to an Angels lineup that went quiet without Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout in 2024.

Canning, meanwhile, has only appeared for the Angels in a limited capacity since his 2019 debut, has he has been consistently derailed by injuries. In 2024, however, he made his most appearances in a single season, making 31 starts. He finished with a 5.19 ERA and 6-13 record.

The Braves and Angels announced the trade just 14 hours after the World Series between the Yankees and Dodgers ended, hitting the ground running in what figures to be a busy off-season across the league. Juan Soto leads a talented stable of free agents that also includes Blake Snell, Corbin Burnes, Pete Alonso, Max Fried, Alex Bregman and many others. 

While trades and minor signings could come at any time between now and Opening Day, big free agent acquisitions will likely be delayed as player representatives sift through different offers and weigh their options. It would be unwise for Soto, for instance, to rush into any agreement if he is looking to maximize his contract for the 2025 season and beyond.

For the next month or so, small announcements like the Soler trade will trickle in while fans and insiders alike speculate on the futures of big free agents. It is a vastly different focus for baseball. One day removed from the World Series, one that was ultimately decided by role players and fundamental play, the entire league is now shifting into a mode of thinking in which the biggest names dominate theoretical projections and predictions. The vicious cycle continues.