Yankees Nearly Landed Mets Pitcher

The New York Yankees had a path to the Mets pitcher.

May 17, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Griffin Canning (46) pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees dealt with five innings of Griffin Canning in the team's loss to the New York Mets in Game 2 of the Subway Series. Canning allowed two runs in the game, helping secure the Mets' 3-2 win to even the series. Afterward, though, manager Aaron Boone shared an interested nuggest of information on how things almost went this past offseason.

This past offseason, the former Los Angeles Angels pitcher ended up in New York, but instead of in pinstripes, he went to the Mets. Boone, however, let it be known that the Yankees had a path where they would've added him, and there were conversations during free agency.

"He was a guy we had interest in this winter and spoke with him," Boone said. "I'm not overly surprised by the success he's having."

Aaron Boone shares the Yankees had interest in signing Griffin Canning this past winter:

"I'm not overly surprised by the success he's having" pic.twitter.com/5UKpbvDqdZ
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 17, 2025

Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake confirmed the talks, and even added that there was a route where the Yankees went with Juan Soto and Canning instead of Max Fried.

"If we didn’t end up with Fried and this second group of players, we probably would have gone the Soto-Canning path," Blake told the Daily News.

Canning signed a one-year deal with the Mets worth $4.25 million. In five wins and one loss, he's thrown a 2.47 ERA, making the team-friendly deal in the offseason look like a steal - and claiming a victory over the Yankees that likely makes them think about if they should've added another pitcher as well.

Fried currently holds a 1.11 ERA through nine games played with six wins and zero losses.

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