Robinson Cano’s return in 2022 is inevitable

During another bad loss of the New York food Saturday evening, Newsday’s Tim Healey dropped some team news concerning one of the club’s forgotten players, Robinson Cano.

You know the name. You remember the face. You also remember exactly why he didn’t play a game at all in 2021. Cano has been suspended this season after testing positive for PEDs last November. The second such suspension of his career cost him his entire 2021 salary and a lot of fan respect.

However, as Healey reports, the clubhouse members continue to admire Cano. It seems that he still has some influence within the ball club. His return in 2022 now seems inevitable.

Maybe the Mets won’t outright release Robinson Cano after all

A dream scenario for many Mets fans since the beginning of the Steve Cohen era was the end of Cano in New York. His disappointing year in 2019 added to those who were already unhappy with the trade that brought him to Flushing. After rebounding in 2020, some thought differently.

Then came the suspension.

I’m not sure there are too many Mets players because universally hated in Cano. I am not going to use the word hate because it is too strong a word. Cano is a cheater. He’s up there with the biggest cheaters of my life. My father with my mother. My sister in Hungry Hungry Hippos. My father with his mistress. My other sister with her first boyfriend. My father with my mother, again. The list goes on.

There was never any guarantee that Cano’s time with the Mets would end, even with a change in the front office and Cohen’s billions of dollars waiting to be spent. He’s going to pay Cano one way or another. Designating him for a mission is a move that can now, apparently, rub a few players the wrong way.

Think of next season as Robinson Cano’s redemption tour

Just a few days ago, Ryan Braun retired from baseball. It wasn’t as big a story as you might think because Braun hasn’t played all year. In my opinion a bigger baseball villain than Cano, the circumstances surrounding his past PED suspension is much dirtier. He shot innocent people in the process. All Cano did was damage his own legacy and maybe a few pitchers’ ERAs.

There are certainly some Mets players who feel Cano differently than those who would continue to see him as a leader. Gather 26 men into one group and you’ll be hard pressed not to have an opinion on a jury.

Next year may become Cano’s redemption tour. Returning from his death in baseball, he may regain favor with the fans. That’s all anyone has to do to be forgiven for anything non-criminal.

Some Mets fans will never love Cano for what he means to the team. Others will hold the suspension against him on a more personal level. The more the Mets allow his salary to be factored into their offseason decisions, the less forgiving fans will be. Winning heals everything. The Mets won’t be able to do much more if Cano’s high salary prevents them from taking the necessary action.