Yankees' surprise minor-league signing will break Mets fans' brains

The New York Yankees acquired a Robinson Cano impersonator at the trade deadline in the form of slugger Luis Garcia Jr., who has the ex-Yank second baseman's beautiful lefty swing down to a tee. Why not go all the way, then, and acquire the top prospect the Mets once traded for Cano while he's on a similar downswing?

About 20 minutes after first pitch between the Yankees and Red Sox on Saturday afternoon, the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders announced that New York planned to welcome outfielder Jarred Kelenic to their minor-league roster. Kelenic's star hasn't shone brightly for a half-decade, but the (likely Quad-A) outfielder posted a .992 OPS in the minors in the Rangers' system this year before recently hitting a new form of rock bottom by clearing waivers into obscurity.

The Yankees saved him from that fate. At the most, he'll provide some completely outside-the-box depth. More likely, he'll be a potential cog to Scranton's playoff push below the surface.

He isn't likely to impact the big-league roster as much as he'll impact Mets fans' brains. After all, he was THE next big thing before they flipped him, alongside pitching prospect Justin Dunn, as the centerpiece of the deal that netted them both Edwin Diaz and Cano's hefty contract.

Mets were clear winners of the Jarred Kelenic trade, but...now he's the Yankees' property

Diaz had about as much of an impact as a top-end reliever can have after being flipped, changing both the culture and the expectations in the ninth inning and devastating fans with his departure this past offseason after vacillating between being essential and a lightning rod during his career.

Cano had seen better days by the time he became a Met, suspended for the entire 2021 season due to the PED infraction that removed all doubt about his Hall of Fame status. Kelenic? He was no big loss, as much as the Mariners would've hoped they could've made it hurt. His outstanding numbers in Tacoma from 2021-2023 never translated to the majors for any defined stretch; he posted 2.1 bWAR with a 111 OPS+ in his age-23 season in 2023, but has a career OPS+ of 84, 16% worse than league average. It just hasn't been there.

He's still just 27 years old, somehow, but the Yankees likely view him as last-ditch depth rather than an essential piece. That may be the most confusing truth of all for Mets fans to manage.

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