Mariners: Who won the Robinson Cano/Jarred Kelenic Trade?

Mets stud CP Edwin Diaz — NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 29: Edwin Diaz #39 of the New York Mets throws a pitch during the ninth inning of the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field on April 29, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)

Mariners/Mets Trade: Case for the New York Mets

It’s clear that Edwin Diaz has been the best player involved in this deal so far. Through three+ seasons with the Mets, he has an ERA+ of 108, a 3.77 ERA and a 3.20 FIP, he has an incredible K/9 rate of 14.9, is 73 for 91 in save opportunities, and has a 2.4 WAR. WAR for closers is a funky stat, so I try not to pay too much attention to it for them.

Diaz struggled a bit when he got to the Mets, but has been great since then. The differential in his ERA and FIP is also worth noting, as 0.57 is quite the difference. He’s given the Mets someone they can reasonably trust at the end of games, which is always nice to have.

You can try comparing team saves to see if it’s given the Mets an advantage, but it’s a hard stat to track. A blown save can happen whenever your team has the lead, not just in the 9th. Over that time frame, the Mets have a Blown Save percentage of 39.645% (102/169), while the Mariners number sits at 40.4365 (106/181). It’s pretty close… but doesn’t really mean anything here.

But… there’s Robinson Cano to drag it down. The Mets will end up paying him about $70.2 million for his time there (they have to pay the remainder of his deal even after letting him go) and received just 1.2 WAR from Cano. $58.51 million per WAR… that’s a pretty hefty price.

Yeah, you got Diaz in the deal, but you had to take on what ended up being a bad player on an awful deal. As to what they gave up…

Mariners/Mets Trade: Case for the New York Mets

Schedule