Ex-Met Griffin Canning agrees to Padres contract as he recovers from Achilles rupture

Griffin Canning is moving on from New York.The right-handed pitcher has agreed to a deal with the Padres on Saturday, according to multiple reports.The 29-year-old, who is working to come back after rupturing his left Achilles last summer, is expected to add to much-needed depth to San Diego’s starting rotation.Terms of the contract are not yet known.The deal, which has yet to be confirmed by the club, was followed by a one-year contract with starting pitcher Germán Márquez, according to ESPN.The 30-year-old Marquez will be looking to have a bounce-back season after struggling with a 6.70 ERA in 2025 with the Rockies.On top of the Padres’ pitching moves, an offense-boosting one-year deal was made on Saturday with veteran outfielder Nick Castellanos, who was released by the Phillies after four seasons on Thursday.Canning was a second-round draft pick by the Angels in 2017 and made his debut two years later.

Nevertheless, with a 4.78 ERA across five seasons, he never lived up to high expectations.And in 2024, he went 6-13 with a 5.19 ERA in 31 starts before getting dealt to the Braves as part of a Jorge Soler salary dump.But Canning was non-tendered by Atlanta, and the Mets eventually grabbed him.In New York, Canning was in the middle of career year last season before suffering the Achilles injury on June 26, holding a 3.77 ERA in 16 starts.It’s unknown when Canning will return from his injury, but there is a possibility he could be ready to return around Opening Day.

When healthy, he could slot into the back end of the Padres’ rotation....