Mets' Robinson Cano suspended 162 games for violating drug policy
38-year-old infielder previously penalized 80 games in May 2018
Mets second baseman Robinson Cano was suspended for 162 games by Major League Baseball on Wednesday after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug for the second time in his decorated career.
The 38-year-old Cano will miss the entire 2021 season and lose $24 million US in salary. The eight-time All-Star hit a robust .316 with 10 home runs and 30 RBIs in this year's pandemic-shortened season.
Minus Cano, New York could move good-hitting Jeff McNeil into a regular spot at second base. The suspension also will surely prompt calls by Mets fans to sign free agent DJ LeMahieu, an AL MVP candidate this year with the Yankees.
The penalty came less than two weeks after Steve Cohen bought the Mets for $2.4 billion, a move that created an avalanche of positivity for a team that has reached the playoffs just three times in the last 20 years.
The commissioner's office said Cano tested positive for Stanozolol, an anabolic steroid. He was penalized 80 games in May 2018 while with Seattle after a positive test for Furosemide, a diuretic that some athletes have used to mask other substances.
There was no immediate comment from Cano or the players' union.
Alderson was hired by Cohen on the day the Mets sale was completed. General manager Brodie Van Wagenen exited the same day — Van Wagenen made the trade to get Cano from Seattle in December 2018 after previously being his agent.
Ineligible for playoffs
In a move that polarized Mets fans, the high-priced Cano and big league saves leader Edwin Diaz were acquired in a deal that sent top outfield prospect Jarred Kelenic and young pitching to the Mariners.
Cano was set to head into the eighth year of his $240 million, 10-year contract. He will not be eligible for the playoffs if the Mets make the post-season.
In 16 seasons, he is a career .303 hitter with 1,302 RBIs and two Gold Gloves. He played 49 games this year in a season shortened from the usual 162 to 60 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Cano became a star with the Yankees, then signed a big contract with the Mariners. His ban during the 2018 season made him among the most prominent players penalized under baseball's anti-doping rules.
At that time, Cano said the diuretic "was given to me by a licensed doctor in the Dominican Republic to treat a medical ailment." Cano said he didn't realize the drug was banned by MLB.
McNeil has hit .319 in three seasons with the Mets and was an All-Star in 2019. Second base is probably his most natural position, though he's done fine while also playing third base, left field and right field.
