Mariners Rumors: Cano, Diaz expected to be dealt to Mets by Friday

The Mariners are expected to complete a trade by Friday that sends Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz to the New York Mets. In exchange, the Mariners are expected to receive veteran right fielder Jay Bruce, right-handed reliever Anthony Swarzak, and prospects.

It was reported earlier this afternoon by Ken Rosenthal that the two teams were in a serious discussion that included the two former all-stars, prospects, and money to cover part of the $120-million owed to Cano.

The blockbuster deal revolves around the Mariners desire to offload as much of Cano’s five years $120-million contract as possible as they enter a “restructuring” phase.

Before any deal is finalized, physicals and no-trade clauses will need to be ironed out along with the exact players and money involved.

It was first reported by Andy Martino of SportsNet New York that the Mets were hesitant to include Jeff McNeil and were instead looking to include Gerson Bautista. He later tweeted that the club has officially removed Martin from the conversation and that the deal does in-fact include Bautista.

Jay Bruce managed 71 hits and a -0.4 WAR in 94 games for the Mets. Two days ago, the outfielder made adjustments to his no-trade clause by cutting it down to five teams and eliminating the Mariners and Orioles – essentially opening up the door for a trade to Seattle.

Anthony Swarzak will be moving to his seventh team in five years having played for both New York teams, the Brewers, White Sox, Indians, and Twins. The right-hander has a career 4.30 ERA in 316 games.

Bautista was an international free agent who signed with the Boston Red Sox in April 2013. He moved around their farm system until he was traded to the New York Mets as part of a package for Addison Reed on July 31, 2017. The right-hander made his big league debut on April 17, 2018 where he gave up 6 earned runs in 4.1 innings.

This is a developing story and we will continue to update as news unfolds.