Mets Appear Near a Deal for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz

In explaining the Mets’ hiring of Brodie Van Wagenen as their new general manager, Jeff Wilpon, the team’s chief operating officer and one of its owners, said the new architect was creative and aggressive. A month into the job, Van Wagenen appeared close to making a risky, bold trade on Friday that would signal the Mets’ expectation of contending for a playoff spot next season.

Seeking a veteran hitter and a proven reliever after a second consecutive losing season, the Mets were inching toward acquiring Robinson Cano, the aging star second baseman, and Edwin Diaz, a young standout closer, from the rebuilding Seattle Mariners, according to multiple people familiar with the deal who were not authorized to speak publicly because the trade was not final. They said the Mariners would receive two prospects who were first-round draft picks and two underperforming veteran players.

A framework of the trade was in place Friday, but, if completed, it might not be announced until next week because of remaining hurdles, like the medical reviews and money changing hands.

The trade was complicated partly because of money owed to Cano, an eight-time All-Star who signed a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Mariners five years ago. Van Wagenen, a former agent, helped negotiate the deal.

Cano hit .303 last season, and he has generally been a durable player, but there are red flags: He is 36 and coming off a season in which he played only 80 games because of a fractured hand and a suspension related to a positive test for a banned substance.

To seal a deal that would reduce their remaining commitment on Cano’s contract — five years and $120 million — the Mariners packaged him with Diaz, who could have yielded a significant return by himself. To offset Cano’s salary, the Mariners are expected to send an unspecified sum to the Mets. Cano, who has said he loved New York when he was a Yankee from 2005 to 2013, would have to waive his no-trade clause to assure the deal.

In return, the Mets are expected to give up two of their top prospects — outfielder Jarred Kelenic and pitcher Justin Dunn — plus a minor league relief pitcher, Gerson Bautista. To help balance their costs, the Mets are expected to send the Mariners two veteran players whose contracts expire much sooner than Cano’s: outfielder Jay Bruce ($28 million over two more years) and relief pitcher Anthony Swarzak ($8.5 million for next year).

The proposed deal was seen across the industry as daring and puzzling. Trade rumors surrounding Cano and Diaz swirled throughout the week, as the Mariners tear down their roster under General Manager Jerry Dipoto.

Diaz is one of the best closers in baseball. He saved a major-league-high 57 games last season, with a 1.96 earned run average and 124 strikeouts over 73⅓ innings, and earned his first All-Star nod. Diaz, 24, will be under team control for four more seasons.

The Mets, who had one of the worst bullpens in baseball last season, could have signed one or two older relief pitchers on the free-agent market and spared their improving farm system. Elite closers, while essential for those pushing for the playoffs, are seen as luxuries on struggling teams.

If the Mets — who finished 77-85 last season — hope to take full advantage of Diaz, they will need to patch the remaining holes in their roster.

The deal with Seattle would leave several doubts, because of Cano’s suspension and age, and because relief pitchers like Diaz are often volatile from year to year.

At his best, Cano is a .300 hitter who can also produce 20-plus home runs, drive in 100 runs and get on base often — a skill needed in the Mets’ lineup. He is likely to end up at second base, with the potential to play occasionally at first and third. Cano’s arrival would probably push Jeff McNeil, the second base prospect who performed well late last season, to third base (sharing it with Todd Frazier) or into a utility role.

In Bruce and Swarzak, the Mets would be giving up two of the players over 30 they signed last winter at what was thought to be discount prices. Bruce had one of his worst seasons, suffered a hip injury and hit .217 with nine home runs, while Swarzak dealt with injuries and posted a 6.15 E.R.A. in just 29 games.

As for the prospects, the Mariners were high on Kelenic entering the June draft, but the Mets nabbed him with the sixth overall pick, eight spots before Seattle picked. Although Kelenic is just 19, several talent evaluators, including some for the Mets, are enamored of his potential. There is less consensus on Dunn, 23, the 19th overall pick in 2016, but he showed improvement last season with Class AA Binghamton and raised his stock.

Bautista, 23, is a hard-throwing relief pitcher with wayward command who was acquired by the Mets in their 2017 trade of relief pitcher Addison Reed.

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