Mets sign Starling Marte and Mark Canha

Oakland A’s two biggest free agents are officially gone

The Oakland A’s two biggest free agents are officially gone.

Outfielders Starling Marte and Mark Canha both signed with the New York Mets on Friday. Marte will get four years and $78 million, reports insider Jon Heyman, while Canha agreed for two years and $26.5 million, per insider Joel Sherman.

The A’s are expected to begin a rebuild this winter, so these major departures don’t come as a surprise, but it’s still striking to see the actual headline. Canha in particular has spent his entire seven-year career in Oakland and became one of the team’s most productive stars over the past few seasons, so watching the Bay Area native in another uniform will take some getting used to.

• Canha, 2019-21: .249/.377/.438, 129 wRC+, 13.3% BB, 21.2% Ks, .347 xwOBA

As for Marte, he was acquired in July and put together two of the most exciting months in recent memory, including 25 stolen bases in 56 games. He wasn’t here for long as a late-season rental, and even his lofty efforts weren’t enough to carry the A’s to the playoffs, but he goes down as one of the best trade deadline additions in franchise history.

• Marte, 2021 OAK: .316/.359/.466, 130 wRC+, 4.4% BB, 16.7% Ks, .340 xwOBA

Both outfielders will play at age 33 next summer, but neither has slowed down yet. Marte is coming off a career year and finished Top 10 in the majors in fWAR, making an impact with his sparkplug on-base ability, blazing speed, and decent defense in CF. Canha’s top-notch plate discipline and solid power are tools that tend to age well, and he’s fast and athletic enough to swipe some bags and play versatile defense at all three outfield positions.

Canha had grown into a fan favorite over the years, and Marte took our breath away last summer with his incredible performance. Athletics Nation will miss each of them, and it won’t be the last time we say goodbye to old friends this winter. But if there’s one piece of consolation, it’s that at least they didn’t go to the Giants.