HOUSTON — The signing of Griffin Canning by the Mets in December didn’t cause much of a ripple in an offseason in which billions of dollars were invested in free agency and the injury-prone right-hander who gave up an American League-high 99 earned runs a year ago seemed like just another depth piece.
But a strong performance during spring training, combined with injuries to higher-priced signings Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas, opened up a spot for Canning and the 28-year-old is set to make his Mets debut Saturday in Houston.
And for a little-known pitcher who toiled in Anaheim for the first six seasons of his career after being drafted by then-general manager Billy Eppler in the second round of the 2017 draft out of UCLA, there is some hope Canning could make a name for himself in Queens.
Canning arrived to the Mets following a trade from the Angels to the Braves, in exchange for Jorge Soler, only to be non-tendered by Atlanta before hitting arbitration.
Then a free agent, Canning inked a $4.25 million, one-year deal with the Mets.
Asked during spring training if the struggles with the Angels and being cut loose by the Braves made him lose his confidence, Canning said, “I think that kind of stuff would make that happen to anyone.”
A new beginning with the Mets, though, seems to have had a positive impact on Canning, who opened eyes during spring training — which caught the attention of his old college coach, John Savage.
Savage, who coached Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer in college, worked with Canning shortly before he headed to spring training in Port St. Lucie.
“He’s like a greyhound: really thin and twitchy,” Savage said by phone. “The ball came out of his hand different and we loved his makeup and competitiveness.”
He went on to a solid career in college, but hasn’t had the same results in the majors.
“This is a guy who can really pitch and has got the stuff to match his pitchability,’’ Savage said. “I think he flew under the radar the last couple years and had a hard time last year in some starts, but what he did this spring is what we saw at UCLA. We knew he had that kind of ceiling if he could stay healthy.”
And that’s been among the issues that have stalled Canning’s career.
A low back stress fracture in August 2021 ended that season and caused him to miss all of 2022, but he pitched 121 innings the following season and a 171 ⅔ innings a year ago, albeit with a 5.19 ERA.
The Mets have visions of their pitching program helping Canning become more effective and take advantage of his swing-and-miss stuff.
“I think his interactions with our pitching coaches, understanding what we’re trying to help him with, while also staying true to how he believes he’s the best pitcher,’’ president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “So I think there has been a lot of back and forth and interaction and it’s been great to see.”
He got off to a promising start. In 14 1/3 Grapefruit League innings, Canning struck out 22 and walked five.
Savage said Canning was ready for the challenge after “a whirlwind” offseason.
“I think he was looking forward to working with their technology,’’ Savage said of the Mets. “Plus, a new atmosphere, new opportunity, different voices. It’s a new world to him.”
One that could benefit Canning after years of tumult with the Angels.
“I had four different pitching coaches, different managers with different philosophies,’’ Canning said of his time with the Angels. “Some years were more tech heavy, some were more traditional.”
So more stability with the Mets might help.
“To a certain degree, yeah,’’ said Canning, who grew up in southern California, going to Angels games, went to UCLA and then was drafted by his hometown team. “You see all the time, going being in a new place helps a guy a lot… I was lucky to pitch for the team I grew up rooting for, but I’ve been in California my whole life and being here, it might not even be a new message for me, it might just resonate differently. Now it’s up to me.”
