There was a buzz around the Mets when they acquired Robinson Cano in a trade this offseason. One of New York's brightest stars, Cano was coming home to the city that made him a superstar, only this time, across town.

The results haven't been there this year, though. The Mets took on a lot of risk in acquiring Cano, a player entering his age-36 season coming off a PED suspension who had a lot of money owed his way. So far, Cano's negatives have outweighed his positives, including an embarrassing lack of hustle and an untimely stint on the injured list.

However, while Cano may not ever reach the high points he hit as a Yankee in his prime, he is also not the hitter that we've seen this year. The last few weeks have been rough, but Mets fans should welcome back Cano with open arms. With a few small adjustments, he is still capable of being one of the team's most fearsome hitters.

The main reason that I'm not worried about Cano's hitting long-term is his metric profile. Cano has always hit the ball hard - he has long averaged an exit velocity over 90 mph, well above the MLB average of 87 mph. To that point, he is still hitting the ball hard this year. His exit velocity is over 90 mph, and his hard-hit rate is 44 percent, also well above the MLB average.

Also, Cano isn't falling into the typical traps that aging hitters normally do. He's not hitting more ground balls or soft contact, and he's not getting pull-happy. So what's the reason for such a dramatic decline in offensive production?

The only real difference between 2019 Cano and the Cano of past years on the analytics side comes with his swing data. Cano has been very aggressive at the plate this year, and may be pressing a bit. He's swinging at the highest percentage of pitches (53.3 percent) since 2011.

That'd be OK if he was making contact, but Cano is also whiffing more frequently when he swings. He's been particularly antsy on first pitches, which can often put an aggressive hitter in an 0-1 hole.

Cano has never really been a patient hitter, but he hasn't been this anxious at the plate in years. When you combine this newfound aggression with a natural decline in skill that comes with age, you don't always get good results.

To get back on track, Cano needs better plate discipline. He still has excellent instincts and natural power, but just needs to be a more selective hitter. Pitchers aren't going to give him anything to hit unless he stops chasing outside the zone. His metrics provide hope that once he gets himself into better counts, his overall offensive production will increase.

While Cano has struggled this year, he can still be a middle of the order masher for this team. Mets fans shouldn't groan when Cano comes back on Tuesday night. He hasn't been worth it so far, but he's not toast yet, either.

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