Mets continue giving away players, as Brewers acquire outfielder for prospect

The Brewers opened a spot on their 40-man roster earlier in the day when Jake Cousins was lost to the Astros on waivers. The Mets are paying Canha’s salary this year, with the Brewers only responsible for the prorated portion of the league minimum, though Milwaukee will have to pick up the option or buyout when it makes its decision on that.

This is the second offensive upgrade of the deadline for the Brewers, who already acquired Carlos Santana from the Pirates last week. It was reported earlier today that the club was still looking to upgrade its lineup, which was done here.

Canha, 34, spent many years as a solid outfielder for the Athletics before hitting free agency after 2021. He was able to secure a two-year, $26.5 million contract for 2022, with an $11.5 million club option for 2024 that comes with a $2 million buyout. He batted 26.6%, 36.7% and 40.3% for the Mets last year, a line that translated into a 128 wRC+, indicating he was 28% above league average. This year, Canha’s production has dropped off a bit, though he’s still an above-average hitter. Perhaps he is in need of some positive regression, though he is a solid hitter even without that.
Defensively, Canha is primarily an outfielder, though he has some versatility. He has played more in left field than anywhere else, but is capable of playing all three outfield positions, as well as having brief stints in the corners of the infield.

Frelick played a lot of center field in the minor leagues, so perhaps he can go there with Canha in right and Yelich in left. Frelick also bats left-handed and Wiemer right-handed, so maybe they could team up in the middle. Wiemer is hitting .282/.315/.576 against lefties, but only .180/.280/.304 without the platoon advantage. The club also doesn’t have a regular designated hitter and could perhaps put all of these players in the lineup if that’s the best option at the moment. While Santana should be the starter at first base, Canha’s ability to play that position gives them extra flexibility.

The Brewers are, in general, a low-spending club, so the Mets’ willingness to pay the deal certainly appealed to them. They’ll have to decide between that option and a buyout, which could depend on how Canha performs at the end of the year.

Whatever the outcome in the future, it should help the Brewers now. They currently sit at 57-49, just a half-game behind the Reds in the National League Central and a Wild Card spot. That’s due in large part to their pitchers, as the team as a whole has hit .232/.312/.377 with an 88 wRC+, which led to the additions of Santana and Canha.

On the other hand, for the Mets, this is the latest deadline selloff – something that would have seemed shocking a few months ago. This winter, they racked up the largest payroll in MLB history to try to build on last year’s 101-win season. But the disappointment was so great that they are selling aggressively. They’ve already sold Eduardo Escobar to the Angels, David Robertson to the Marlins, Max Scherzer to the Rangers and now this deal.

The return for giving up Canha and consuming that money will be Jarvis. The 23-year-old right-hander was selected by the Brewers in the fifth round of the 2018 draft and has shown some signs of progress recently. Last year, he split his time between High-A and Double-A, pitching 141 innings with a 3.83 ERA, 25 percent strikeout rate and 11 percent walk rate. He returned to Double-A to start this year and posted a 3.33 ERA in 14 starts, striking out 28.6% of opponents and walking just 8.2%.

Based on those good results at Double-A, he was recently ranked as the 12th prospect in the Brewers’ system by Baseball America, which highlighted his four-pitch combination as a chance to stick in the major league rotation. He’ll give the Mets some depth in the upper-level rotation, though he’ll need to be added to the 40-man roster this winter or else be available to be selected in the upcoming Rule 5 draft.