Pittsburgh Pirates add Alexander Canario in deal with New York Mets

3-31-25 – Ethan S. Smith – @mvp_EtHaN

The Pittsburgh Pirates made an addition to their roster on Monday night, acquiring 24-year old outfielder Alexander Canario from the New York Mets for cash considerations, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com

Canario was designated for assignment prior to Opening Day by the Mets, who acquired him from the Chicago Cubs back in February after Chicago designated him for assignment.

The young outfielder began his professional career with the San Francisco Giants as an international free agent back in 2016, and was eventually traded to the Cubs in the Kris Bryant trade in 2021 that all but ended the Cubs run with their core of Javier Baez, Bryant and Wilson Contreras.

Although the multiple DFA’s may rub some away from Canario, he has showcased some pop in his time in the minor leagues, posting a MiLB career .847 OPS with 109 HRs and 366 RBIs in nearly 2000 at-bats, with 37 of those home runs coming in 2022. Canario has only seen 42 at-bats in his MLB career, posting an .857 OPS with two homers and eight runs batted in.

In Triple-A, Canario’s slash line indicates he could eventually find success in the Majors, owning a .252/.345/.521 line in three different stints at the Triple-A level. Defensively, Canario was mainly used as a left fielder in his time with the Cubs, but he has experience playing all three outfield positions, as well as serving as a designated hitter from time to time.

Canario, like many DFA candidates around the beginning of the year, is out of minor league options, meaning any team he goes to, in this case Pittsburgh, must place him on their active roster, thus creating a conversation as to who will make way for Canario’s arrival.

Pittsburgh will have to make a 40-man roster move, and it is expected that Jared Jones will head to the 60-day injured list at some point, seeing as he is unable to throw for six weeks due to a Spring Training injury to his throwing arm.

With outfielders Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz, Jack Suwinski and Tommy Pham firmly in their roster spots, one could only assume that Ji-hwan Bae would be a prime candidate to make way for Canario, seeing as Bae has seen numerous struggles at the MLB level, is not the caliber player of the outfielder previously mentioned and has minor league options.

It’s unclear what kind of role Canario could insert himself into with Pittsburgh, but the move is low-risk, potentially high reward, seeing as Canario is still very young and has plenty of room for growth. With plus raw power and a track record of a high OPS throughout his time in the minors, the Pirates may find lightning in a bottle here, but expect nothing more than a bench bat that could see outings in favor of Tommy Pham in left field from time to time, or be the designated hitter on days that Oneil Cruz needs the day off.

Nevertheless, Canario will be a Pittsburgh Pirate before the second contest between the Pirates and Rays on Tuesday and the necessary moves will follow, so, welcome to Pittsburgh Alexander Canario.