The Cardinals and Mets both have some interest in the free agent righty Griffin Canningreports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Canning spent the 2025 season with the Mets after signing a one-year deal in free agency last year. He started the season well before briefly going through a rough patch and suffering a torn Achilles tendon before he had a chance to bounce back. The White Sox are also known to be interested.
A former second-round pick and highly regarded prospect with the Angels, Canning showed glimpses of the development he had in his minor league days but hasn’t found much consistency in the majors. Part of that is due to persistent injuries, as he has missed time in his career due to not only a torn Achilles last year but also elbow, groin and calf injuries over the years. The Angels traded him to the Warriors Jorge Soler a few hours in the 2024-25 offseason equal to Atlanta’s salary dump; Canning was not released until several weeks later.
After signing a one-year deal with the Mets, Canning looked like a great bargain to start the season. Spring damage to Sean Manaea again Frankie Montas he opened up a turn, and Canning ran with that opportunity. Through his first nine starts, he posted an excellent 2.47 ERA with better strikeout and walk rates (23.2% and 8.6%, respectively) and a 55.2% groundball rate. He had some luck in terms of balls in play, home runs and strikeout rate, but more bearish metrics like SIERA (3.84) and FIP (3.92) still pegged him as a solid rotation arm.
Canning hit trouble in mid-May, walking 18 hitters over his next 26 1/3 innings. He never really got a chance to get back on that rough patch. During the third inning of the first road game against the Braves, he injured his Achilles tendon following what looked like an innocent pitch. Canning had to be helped off the field and had season-ending surgery. His 2025 campaign ended with a 3.77 ERA, 21.3% strikeout rate, 10.7% walk rate and 50.9% ground ball. Hitting grounders was especially notable, as he had been a fly ball player with the Halos. The Mets made some changes to their pitch selection and changed the shape/release points of his slider and changeup.
Another one-year contract for Canning appears to be possible after his 2025 season ends. He should shell out more than the $4.25MM guaranteed he got last winter – at least as long as he’s alive. Heyman writes that Canning is expected to be ready “by” Opening Day, so it’s unclear whether he’ll need an IL stint to start the season (and it may not be clear until he’s signed and spring training is underway).
The Mets and Cardinals both make different levels of sense. New York obviously liked Canning last winter and should have been encouraged by the way he worked with his pitching staff. They want to go deeper and be open to the trades offered by both Kodai Senga again David Peterson.
The Cardinals are an even more logical organization. They are in the first phase of rebuilding in St. Louis, and Canning could provide a veteran arm and another upside that could play his way into a trade this summer. After trading Sonny Gray and seeing Miles Mikolas became a free agent, the Cardinals’ current rotation includes Matthew Liberatore, Michael McGreevy, Andre Pallante, Kyle Leahyfree agent download Dustin May and commercial acquisitions Richard Fitts again Hunter Dobbins. Hopes Quinn Matthews, Touch So again Brycen Mautz it may start again in 2026. That’s a lot of arms but very little certainty, which makes the addition of Canning or another veteran a logical move.
