NY Mets vs. Braves got a lot more personal with 1 trade

The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves do battle beginning on Monday in what could end up as a series to determine which National League East club heads into the first-half at the top. The series begins with the Mets leading the Braves by 1.5 games.

With already a lot at stake in this penultimate series before the All-Star Break, it got a lot more interesting with one trade by Atlanta.

Former Mets second baseman Robinson Cano could be a thorn from the Braves

It’s the one place Mets fans may not have wanted to see Cano end up. Cano was traded to the Braves from the San Diego Padres on Sunday for cold-hard cash considerations. While no Mets fan is frantically under the belief that he’ll have an MVP-caliber run with Atlanta, the timing is certainly discomforting.

Could he, at the very least, help the Braves win a game against the Mets that comes back to haunt his former club? It’s like the Braves are showing up this week with one of our exes that they know isn’t good for them but they just want to see our reaction when he’s there on their shoulder slow dancing.

Cano played 12 games for both the Mets and Padres this season. It’s funny. It felt like he was present for a lot longer.

The results were poor for both clubs. He batted .195/.233/.268 for the Mets then followed it up with a .091/.118/.091 performance for the Padres. A hot bat in Triple-A, where he slashed .333/.375/.479, might be the reason why the Braves traded for him. Or maybe they just want to get in New York’s head for this series.

It doesn’t matter if Cano has the game-winning hit or simply leans into a curveball to keep a rally going. Mets fans are going to be cautious about his presence. His arrival to Atlanta is a move by the Braves to let the Mets know they’re going to fight dirty.

Cano is a steel chair in this wrestling match of National League East opponents. Please, no one distract the ref when the Braves use him.