When the New York Mets acquired Robinson Cano this past offseason, immediately there were comparisons made to other second basemen from the franchise’s history who were busts. Carlos Baerga is one name often mentioned. A more appropriate comparison to Cano is Roberto Alomar.
When the Mets acquired Alomar in a trade with the Cleveland Indians prior to the 2002 season, he was already in his mid-30s. However, he was coming off a stellar campaign and the final of his more than a decade long streak of All-Star baseball. Perhaps the biggest issue fans had with Alomar was not the performance but how far he dropped off from his final year with Cleveland and first in New York.