Is the Robinson Cano Suspension a Good Thing for the Mets

 Mets second baseman Robinson Cano was once again suspended for the use of performance enhancing drugs. This time his suspension will span the entire 2021 season. Cano produced well for the Mets in 2020, hitting .316 with 10 home runs. For most teams, a player of Cano's caliber getting banned for a year would be a bad thing. But it is actually a good thing for the Mets.

Robinson Cano was caught again for PED use by major league baseball. He will sit out the entire 2021 season without pay.

Mets fans have good reason to look at the suspension as a good thing. New owner Steve Cohen now has the freedom to use Cano's salary on a free agent of his choice. He can also make a trade. There are so many possibilities out on the open market to use Cano's salary on. The Mets have been rumored to be in the mix to sign free agent Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer as well as being in trade talks involving Francisco Lindor. And most recently, the Mets are now a landing spot for free agent second baseman DJ LeMahieu who finished third in AL MVP voting.

Another reason to look at the suspension as a good thing is that there is now room for homegrown players to play their natural positions. Jeff McNeil is by far the Mets best hitter when it comes to batting average. He was topic of conversation about playing time when Cano was traded to New York before the 2019 season. McNeil had been spending a majority of his time in the outfield over the last two seasons. Now with an opening at second base, McNeil can go play his natural position. With McNeil expected to move back to second base, JD Davis now becomes the everyday left fielder. Davis has become a key right handed bat in the Mets lineup but with a jammed roster does not see a whole lot of playing time. 

Although his production is gone, Cano's suspension actually takes some burden off the Mets and will allow them to make major adjustments to their roster in the immediate future.