Griffin Canning took the mound at Yankee Stadium on Saturday wearing a New York Mets jersey, but had things played out differently for the Yankees this past offseason, he might have donned the iconic pinstripes instead.
Before the Mets’ 3-2 win over the Yankees on Saturday, in which Canning pitched 5.1 innings and allowed the only two runs of the game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed that the team had internal discussions about signing the former Angels pitcher.
“He was a guy we had interest in this winter and spoke with him,” Boone told reporters. “I’m not overly surprised by the success he’s having.”
The Yankees opted to go in a different direction, signing LHP Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract, which is the largest contract in MLB history for a left-handed pitcher. The move came after the Yankees lost Juan Soto in free agency to the Mets.
“If we didn’t end up with Fried and this second group of players, we probably would have gone the Soto-Canning path,” Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake told the Daily News.
The Mets signed Canning to a team-friendly one-year, $4.25 million deal. Through his first month with the Mets, he’s made that deal look like a bargain, posting a 2.47 ERA in five wins and one loss.
The Yankees and Mets are tied at one game a piece in their MLB Rivalry Weekend series. They’ll wrap up the series on Sunday at 7:10 p.m. ET.
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Griffin Canning
New York Mets
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