Canario, 25, is going abroad for the first time in his career. A standout prospect during his time in the Cubs system, he was stuck in the upper minors due to increasing strikeout concerns. Canario never really got a big league look in Chicago and bounced around a bit last winter. The Cubs traded him to the Mets in February. New York designated him for opening day assignment and sent him to Pittsburgh for cash.
The Bucs kept the out-of-options Canario on their roster all season. He played in just over half of their games and racked up 234 career plate appearances. Canario struggled to a hit of .218/.274/.338 while striking out 80 batters (34.2%). Only among hitters with more than 200 trips to the dish Lucas Raley, Gabriel Arias, Michael A. Taylor And Christopher Morel swung and missed more often. Canario performed well defensively in his 521 innings across the three outfield spots, but the lack of offense and roster flexibility led the Bucs to drop him.
Canario brings a career .252/.345/.521 Triple-A batting line to NPB. He hit 32 home runs in 120 games at the highest minor league level. He is an above-average runner with a plus arm and significant raw strength. It’s the kind of profile that generally plays better in foreign leagues, where the average velocity and strikeout rate are lower than in the MLB. Canario would have been limited to minor league offers had he remained in affiliated ball, and his non-option status meant he likely would have bounced around the waiver wire even if he returned to a team’s 40-man roster.
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