Tatsuya Imai's former team in Japan signs NY Mets spring training hero

Every New York Mets spring training has a hero who just needs a couple of big hits or a handful of shutout innings to become a fan-favorite. In 2025, a young outfielder picked up from the Chicago Cubs was the one who fit this description.

The Mets added out of options outfield Alexander Canario to the roster, showing a subtle sign they might look for a late-spring trade of Starling Marte or at least not have much faith in the veteran being healthy. Canario hit .306/.419/.611 with 3 home runs for the Mets.

Marte stayed healthy and the Mets ended up having to DFA Canario. He landed softly with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but after a poor year, he was non-tendered and will now join Tatsuya Imai’s ex-team in Japan, the Seibu Lions.

Briefly a Mets player, Alexander Canario played his way over to Japan with the Pirates this year

The Pirates didn’t have the ability to send Canario to the minor leagues, but with no chance at the postseason in 2025, they let him take 234 plate appearances. The results weren’t great. He batted .218/.274/.338 with 6 home runs. He showed off a strong arm at all three outfield positions, playing mostly left field for Pittsburgh while logging significant time in center field, too.

In a perfect world, Canario might not have been such a bad player for the Mets to have around in 2025. Their absence of a true center fielder for much of the year could have at least been bandaged by Canario. He rated poorly in center field, but wasn’t atrocious. The Mets didn’t have the luxury of stashing him in the minors because the Pirates saw value in a then-24-year-old with some good minor league pop.

Beyond Imai, Mets fans will recognize another name on the Seibu roster last season. Batting .204 in his 131 trips to the plate, J.D. Davis didn’t find much luck overseas.

At the ripe age of 25 with his next birthday coming in May, this is a good opportunity for Canario to follow the lead of many other players who couldn’t cut it in MLB but seem to have valuable enough tools to perform well in Triple-A. He doesn’t seem so much bound to make a triumphant return stateside and earn himself a big, fat contract. More realistic, Canario might be able to become one of those players who excels in Japan due to the style of play. It’s not a league built on power. He has a shot to standout and, at the very least, become a fan-favorite.