When the Mets recently acquired second baseman Robinson Cano from the Mariners, they acquired one of the best players of his generation. Even going into his age-36 campaign, Cano still profiles as a highly valuable contributor, and he's going to wind up with an exceptionally strong Hall of Fame case when he's done. 

Part of his story now and moving forward, though, is that he served an 80-game suspension last season after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. The drug in question was Furosemide, a banned diuretic. In response, Cano released a statement through the MLBPA in which he admitted to taking Furosemide but denied doing so for purposes of performance enhancement: 

Given the stickiness of these kinds of stories, the Mets would no doubt be asked about Cano's suspension and seemingly compromised reputation. That indeed happened on Tuesday, as Mets COO Jeff Wilpon was asked about his and by extension the club's thoughts on Cano's misstep last season. Via Newsday, here's what Wilpon said: 

"I don't think he's a drug cheat. I could be proven wrong, but I don't think he's a drug cheat."

On the one hand, Cano violated the rules and was punished for doing so. On the other hand, his explanation is plausible, and in the here and now he's served his time. The more important thing to note is that the Mets, by acquiring Cano at some cost in terms of both prospects and financial commitment, obviously don't believe there's anything artificial or unsustainable about Cano's level of success in his thirties. If they had those doubts, they wouldn't have traded for him. 

As for Wilpon's remarks, they suggest he believes Cano's explanation and perhaps draws a line between the use of a diuretic masking agent and, say, the use of actual PEDs. Or maybe he's just spinning. The real point is that the Mets' actions speak to the idea that believe Cano can still play at a high level, as he did when he returned from that suspension.