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James McCann

Braves, James McCann Agree To Minor League Deal

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March 18: McCann’s deal would pay him a $1MM base in the majors, reports ESPN’s Buster Olney.

March 17: The Braves are in agreement with veteran catcher James McCann on a minor league contract, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Atlanta released Curt Casali from his minor league deal and reassigned Sandy León to minor league camp this afternoon. McCann is represented by the Ballengee Group.

McCann, 34, provides veteran insurance with Sean Murphy ticketed for the injured list to begin the season. Murphy and expected backup Chadwick Tromp are the only catchers on Atlanta’s 40-man roster. They’ll need to add someone else by the start of the regular season. Removing Casali and León from the mix made it seem inevitable that top prospect Drake Baldwin would get the Opening Day assignment. That still seems highly likely. McCann hasn’t had any game reps and Spring Training ends in one week. Mark Bowman of MLB.com writes that the plan is for the veteran to begin the season at Triple-A Gwinnett.

The righty-swinging McCann has spent the last two seasons backing up Adley Rutschman in Baltimore. He hit .228/.274/.382 in a combined 134 games. He has a bit of power but isn’t going to provide much from an on-base perspective. McCann is highly respected for his leadership and work with pitching staffs. He ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of arm strength and throwing out attempted basestealers. He has never graded well by public pitch framing metrics, while Statcast has graded him a little below average at blocking balls in the dirt.

Baldwin has had a big Spring Training. He’s hitting .333 with six walks and two strikeouts in 13 exhibition games. The former third-round pick combined for a .270/.384/.460 batting line between the top two minor league levels last season. He clearly has more offensive upside than McCann or Tromp bring to the table. That said, plenty of top prospects struggle in their first look at major league pitching. If Baldwin’s career gets out to a tough start, McCann could step in as the starter until Murphy returns from a broken rib. McCann has far more experience as a primary catcher than Tromp does.

Braves Considering Free Agent Catchers

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The Braves will open the season without their starting catcher. Sean Murphy will be down four to six weeks after breaking a rib when he was hit by a Will Kempner pitch last week. Murphy and Chadwick Tromp are the only catchers on the 40-man roster. Atlanta will need to make some kind of move by Opening Day.

Jon Heyman of The New York Post reports that the Braves are giving some thought to adding Yasmani Grandal or James McCann. They’re the top two unsigned veteran catchers. Neither player would land more than a couple million dollars on a one-year contract. The Braves would need to decide whether it’s worth rostering a veteran if Murphy only misses the first few weeks of the regular season. Tromp is out of options, so they’d probably wind up cutting a catcher once Murphy returns.

The Braves also have a high-upside alternative. Drake Baldwin is one of the top handful of catching prospects in the sport. The former third-round draftee hit .276/.370/.423 with 16 homers between Double-A and Triple-A a year ago. Baldwin spent more than half the season at Triple-A Gwinnett, where he appeared in 72 games. He’ll turn 24 just after Opening Day. Baldwin should play in the majors at some point this year. He could break camp as the starter, which would keep Tromp in the backup role.

Atlanta would need to add Baldwin to their 40-man roster, but they could open a spot by placing Joe Jiménez on the 60-day injured list at any time. An outside acquisition would need to go on the 40-man anyways, so that’s unlikely to be much of a deterrent. Baldwin could get his first look at major league pitching and head back to Gwinnett for regular playing time once Murphy gets healthy.

McCann or Grandal would be less exciting, if arguably steadier, alternatives. They’re both mid-30s veterans who have plenty of experience working with big league pitching staffs. McCann has spent the last two seasons as Adley Rutschman’s backup in Baltimore. He hit .228/.274/.382 during his stint with the Orioles. McCann grades as a below-average pitch framer but has a strong reputation for his work with pitchers. He threw out a slightly above-average 23.5% of base stealers and wasn’t charged with a passed ball in 559 2/3 innings last season.

The switch-hitting Grandal appeared in 72 games for the Pirates. He hit .228/.304/.400 across 243 trips to the plate. That was his best offensive showing since a 23-homer campaign with the White Sox in 2021. Grandal continues to post excellent pitch framing grades, as he has throughout his career. He was charged with five passed balls across 560 1/3 frames, though, and he only managed to nab six of 72 opposing basestealers (an 8.3% rate). Grandal had the slowest pop time — average time to throw to second on steal attempts — among 83 qualified catchers, per Statcast.

Reds Interested In James McCann

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The Reds have interest in veteran catcher James McCann, per a report from MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon. McCann has also received interest from the Orioles and Red Sox, though Baltimore’s recent deal with Gary Sanchez seemingly closes the door on a reunion.

McCann, 34, was a starting-caliber catcher with the Tigers and White Sox earlier in his career but has settled into a backup role in recent years with the Mets and Orioles. Since the start of the 2022 season, McCann has appeared in 195 combined games with 650 plate appearances total while slashing .218/.269/.353, which was good for a 75 wRC+ during that time. While McCann posted solid defensive numbers in terms of both framing and throwing out runners earlier in his career, his defense has taken a step back since then. During his time in Baltimore, Statcast rated McCann as a below-average defensive catcher overall, with average marks (0 CS Above Average) for throwing out runners but lackluster marks in terms of blocking (-12 Blocks Above Average) and pitch framing (-5 Framing Runs).

While McCann isn’t an impact player on either side of the ball at this stage of his career, he’d certainly be an upgrade over Cincinnati’s internal options for a back-up catcher, which include non-roster invitee Alex Jackson and Triple-A youngster Eric Yang. Jackson hit just .122/.201/.237 in 58 games with the Rays last year, while Yang has exactly one plate appearance in the big leagues after making his debut in 2024 and posted an 85 wRC+ at Triple-A this past season. McCann’s veteran stability could raise the floor at the catcher position behind starter Tyler Stephenson while providing leadership off the bench for an extremely young Cincinnati offense.

Previous reporting this winter suggested that McCann could look to land a multi-year guarantee this winter. While it’s unclear if the Reds would have interest in making a longer-term commitment of that sort to McCann, it’s worth noting that the recent trends of the catching market suggest he may need to settle for a one-year offer anyway, as more well-regarded players like Sanchez and Jacob Stallings have settled on one-year arrangements so far this winter. The only two-year pact given to a free agent catcher to this point in the winter so far has been for Kyle Higashioka, who entered free agency on the heels of a career year that saw him swat 17 homers in just 263 plate appearances. If the Reds explore other options for a veteran back-up this winter, Elias Diaz and Yasmani Grandal are among the more interesting options still available.

Red Sox Among Teams Interested In James McCann

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Veteran catcher James McCann has received offers from at least four teams, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo writes, and the Red Sox are one of the suitors checking in on the backstop’s services.  McCann has spent the last two seasons with the Orioles, and while Baltimore had shown interest in a potential reunion, the club’s recent signing of Gary Sanchez likely closes that door.

Sanchez is one of many available catchers who have already found new teams, leaving the Sox in a bit of a scramble to address the position.  Speaking with Cotillo and other reporters during the Winter Meetings, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow noted simply that “there were more teams in need of catching than there were available catchers.  That was the demographic that moved really, really quickly.”

Boston’s need is less glaring than most clubs, as the Red Sox are specifically looking for what Breslow described as “the right complement and right backup” for Connor Wong.  McCann and Wong are both right-handed hitters, though manager Alex Cora downplayed hitting balance as less important than strong defense.  This might not ideally fit McCann either, as Statcast’s metrics were particularly down on his overall defense in 2024, and a little mixed in general throughout his career.

A pair of strong seasons with the White Sox in 2019-20 lined McCann up to score a four-year, $40.6MM contract from the Mets during the 2020-21 offseason.  Unfortunately, McCann’s hitting numbers tumbled in the aftermath of the signing, and the Mets then dealt him to the Orioles in December 2022 with New York eating the majority of McCann’s remaining salary.  McCann hit only .228/.274/.382 in 459 PA and 134 games with the O’s over the last two seasons, but his ability to handle a bit more than just a backup’s share of catching duties allowed Baltimore extra flexibility in keeping Adley Rutschman’s bat in the lineup as a designated hitter.

Orioles To Pursue Catching Help This Winter

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5:03PM: The Orioles have interest in Elias Diaz, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko reports.  An All-Star in 2023 due to a hot start to the season, Diaz has been a below-average offensive performer for most of his 10 MLB seasons, but his defensive metrics have been generally solid.  Diaz hit .265/.313/.382 over 351 plate appearances with the Rockies and Padres last season, as Diaz landed with San Diego in August after being released by Colorado.

1:34PM: Much of the conversation surrounding the Orioles to this point in the offseason has focused on recently-departed free agents Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander and the club’s efforts to either reunite with or replace those top-of-the-market players. In an appearance on MLB Network Radio earlier today, club GM Mike Elias acknowledged that the club would “love” to bring both Burnes and Santander back, and that they’re prioritizing additions to the top of the rotation and the outfield to make up for that lost production. While those plans have already been reported on extensively, Elias also noted one other departing free agent who the club would either like to reunite with or replace this winter: veteran catcher James McCann.

McCann, 34, spent the past two seasons in Baltimore after being traded to the Orioles by the Mets prior to the 2023 season. He settled comfortably into the backup catcher role with his new club, serving as the second half of a tandem alongside young star Adley Rutschman. During his time in Baltimore, Statcast rated McCann as a below-average defensive catcher overall, with average marks (0 CS Above Average) for throwing out runners but lackluster marks in terms of blocking (-12 Blocks Above Average) and pitch framing (-5 Framing Runs). Meanwhile, McCann has been a below average hitter overall with the bat, but that still made him a roughly average offensive backup catcher overall as he hit .228/.274/.382 (83 wRC+) in 459 total trips to the plate over the past two years, including an 89 wRC+ in 2024.

While that production shouldn’t be especially difficult to replace for the Orioles, it’s nonetheless worth noting that the club plans to pursue an external addition at the position. With Rutschman locked in as the club’s starting catcher for the foreseeable future and top prospect Samuel Basallo already at the Triple-A level, it wouldn’t have been especially surprising if the club decided to go with some combination of Blake Hunt and Rene Pinto to back up Rutschman until Basallo is ready to debut. Given Elias’s comments, however, it seems the club will at least explore adding another veteran catcher to the mix to pair with Rutschman.

Whether that veteran catcher will wind up being McCann or not is unclear. Rich Dubroff of Baltimore Baseball suggested earlier today that McCann may be searching for a multi-year deal in free agency this winter given the thin market for catchers, and went on to note that a deal of that magnitude could make the Orioles “uncomfortable.” Given the presence of Basallo, it would be understandable if the club preferred to limit any commitment to a veteran catcher to just one guaranteed year. If McCann proves to be out of the club’s comfort zone or they simply opt to go in a different direction, there’s a number of other options who could be available on a one-year pact this winter such as Gary Sanchez, Elias Diaz, and Reese McGuire.

Orioles Notes: Angelos, McCann, Asche

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John Angelos was the chairman of the Orioles from 2020, when he formally took over from his father, Peter, until earlier this year, when his family sold the club to new owner David Rubenstein. Initially, Angelos was expected to remain with the club in a senior adviser role, but it seems as if that arrangement didn’t last long. According to Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun, Angelos is no longer connected to the team in any capacity after selling his remaining shares to Rubenstein’s ownership group this past August.

Angelos was hardly popular within the Orioles fanbase. The team’s payroll shrunk dramatically under his leadership, and he often complained about the lack of financial resources available to smaller-market organizations. In 2023, he told The Athletic’s Tyler Kepner that the only way to keep all the team’s young stars would be to raise ticket prices “dramatically.” Yet, he reneged on his promise to show reporters the complete “financials of the Orioles” (per the Associated Press). With Rubenstein’s takeover came the hope that the O’s would start spending significantly more on player payroll, and the news that Angelos is no longer exerting any influence over the team’s decisions can only increase that optimism. Baltimore’s payroll was significantly higher in 2024, though still well below league average. Earlier this month, general manager Mike Elias said he was “pretty confident” the payroll will continue to increase in 2025.

One task the Orioles will face this offseason (though hardly their most expensive decision) will be re-signing or replacing backup catcher James McCann. On that subject, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports recently pointed out that McCann initially had the O’s on his five-team no-trade list back when he signed a four-year, $40.6MM deal with the Mets during the 2020-21 offseason. Needless to say, he ended up approving a trade to the Orioles anyway. What’s more, including the Orioles on his five-team no-trade list doesn’t necessarily mean McCann was opposed to playing in Baltimore. At the time he signed that deal, the Orioles were one of the basement-dwellers of the American League. That’s no longer the case. And it bears repeating that he ultimately accepted the trade that sent him to the Orioles – after they proved they were opening their window of contention with an 83-win season in 2022. Still, it’s a tidbit of information worth keeping in mind as the veteran backstop approaches free agency. McCann is well-liked by his Orioles teammates and has gotten plenty of playing time over the past two years as a backup for Adley Rutschman.

In one more note of interest, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com discussed the Orioles coaching staff today, specifically the hitting coach vacancy left behind after co-hitting coach Ryan Fuller was let go and fellow co-hitting coach Matt Borgschulte returned to the Twins. Dubroff pointed out that Cody Asche, technically the team’s offensive strategy coach, also functioned as a third hitting coach for the club. It’s unclear if Asche will change roles next season, but Dubroff does mention that Asche is “respected in the clubhouse.” He has been with the organization since 2022, first as a minor league hitting coordinator before joining the big league staff for the 2023 campaign. Previously, he was a minor league hitting coach in the Phillies organization. At 34 years old, he is still young for a big league coach, but he is certainly a name to keep in mind as the Orioles look to find their next hitting guru.

Orioles Make Three Roster Moves

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The Orioles placed catcher James McCann on the 10-day injured list due to a left ankle sprain.  This was one of a trio of moves announced by the club, as the O’s also selected the contract of catcher Jose Godoy and designated right-hander Reed Garrett for assignment to create a 40-man roster spot for Godoy’s arrival.

McCann suffered the injury in yesterday’s game while sliding into first base for an infield hit.  The sprain forced McCann to make an early exit, and while it isn’t considered to be a serious injury, the Orioles have opted to place McCann on the IL just to provide him with enough time to fully heal.  Teams only have so much flexibility with catchers with day-to-day types of injuries, especially in Baltimore’s case when Adley Rutschman is already playing basically every day as either a catcher or designated hitter.

Reflecting Rutschman’s workload, Godoy now looks to be the fifth different catcher to get some time behind the plate for the O’s this season.  McCann has seen the bulk of the backup duty, though this is his second IL stint of the season, after he began the year with a brief absence due to a minor oblique strain.  McCann has hit only .194/.232/.344 over an even 100 plate appearances, but as long as he continues his solid defense (including throwing out nine of 16 baserunners attempting to steal) as Rutschman’s understudy, the veteran will retain his backup spot.

Godoy was acquired in a trade with the Yankees earlier this month, and the 28-year-old figures to get his first MLB action of the season while McCann is sidelined.  Godoy has appeared in 26 big league games with the Mariners, Pirates, and Twins since the start of the 2021 season, and he has also bounced around to several other clubs on waiver claims and minor league deals over the last three years.

The Orioles just selected Garrett’s contract earlier this week, and his tenure in Baltimore has thus far consisted of three runs allowed over 2 2/3 innings of relief work.  Garrett signed a minors deal with the O’s in the offseason, and he has posted a 1.59 ERA and a 28.4% strikeout rate in 22 2/3 innings with Triple-A Norfolk.  Garrett has been outrighted before, so if he clears DFA waivers and Baltimore wants to outright him off the 40-man roster, Garrett can opt to decline that assignment and become a free agent.

Orioles Reinstate James McCann From 10-Day Injured List

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James McCann is set to make his Orioles debut, as the catcher has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list.  The O’s announced that outfielder Kyle Stowers was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.

McCann suffered an oblique strain fairly late in Spring Training, as he played his last Grapefruit League game on March 20.  Beginning just as soreness in his left side, the issue was announced as a strain when McCann was placed on the 10-day IL just prior to Opening Day.  Fortunately for McCann and the Orioles, the injury appears to have been pretty minor in nature, as opposed to a more lingering oblique problem — McCann suffered such an injury himself just last season that kept him out of action for almost a full month of the 2022 campaign.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of McCann’s activation is the player going the other way.  Stowers hasn’t seen much playing time in the early going, starting only one of the Orioles’ eight games and making six plate appearances over three total games.  While a move to Triple-A seems logical to get Stowers more regular at-bats, Baltimore now has something of a short bench, and three catchers on their active roster.

Adley Rutschman will naturally continue to get the bulk of time behind the plate, with McCann and Anthony Bemboom are splitting backup duties for now.  The DH spot is available to give Rutschman a partial rest day while maintaining his everyday spot in the lineup, and McCann has some past experience as a first baseman if the O’s want to get a little creative.  Also, Bemboom is out of minor league options and can’t be sent to Triple-A without first being designated for assignment, so the Orioles might not yet want to expose him to the waiver wire.  Dan Connolly of The Athletic believes that the Orioles’ decision could be related to a string of left-handed starters coming up on the schedule, since Bemboom can act in a more regular backup catcher role while both Rutschman and the right-handed hitting McCann are in the starting lineup.

The Orioles acquired McCann in a trade with the Mets in December, with Baltimore responsible for just $5MM of the $24MM owed to the veteran catcher over the 2023-24 seasons.  McCann signed a four-year, $40.6MM free agent deal with New York during the 2020-21 offseason, but struggled to only a .220/.282/.328 slash line over 603 PA and 182 games over the first two years of that contract.  Injuries played a particular role in McCann’s underwhelming 2022 season, as beyond his oblique problem, he also missed time due to hamate bone surgery.

Injury Notes: Loaisiga, Peraza, Hedges, McCann

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The Yankees made a series of roster moves earlier today, one of which involved placing right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga on the 15-day IL due to elbow inflammation. A pitcher going down with any sort of elbow problem is always a concern, and manager Aaron Boone spoke with reporters (including Jack Curry of the YES Network) and said Loaisiga had an MRI that did not show any structural damage.

The Yankees say Loaisiga does have some swelling in the joint though, and he won’t throw for a couple of weeks. With that in mind, even Loaisiga returns to throwing in two weeks he’ll need a bit of time to ramp up before the Yankees can call on him out of their big league bullpen, so while it doesn’t appear that this is an overly serious injury it seems Loaisiga’s stay on the IL will extend a bit beyond the minimum 15 days.

That’s a blow for a Yankees bullpen that is already without Tommy Kahnle, and has seen the usually dominant Michael King dealing with some drops in velocity. Loaisiga has been one of the best relievers in the game, and as Curry notes, owns a 1.56 ERA over his past 37 games.

Here’s some more injury notes from around the game:

  • Sticking with the Yankees, and Boone said infield prospect Oswald Peraza is dealing with a hamstring issue which is why he hasn’t played the last few games for Triple-A Scranton (via Curry). While Boone says it’s not a serious injury, it probably ruled the youngster out of being called up to the big leagues when they placed Josh Donaldson on the IL today. The team opted to instead select the contract of Willie Calhoun, but it’s also possible they’d have rather kept Peraza at Triple-A getting everyday at-bats. Peraza’s gone 7-24 with three walks and seven strikeouts over his first six games with Scranton.
  • The Pirates provided an update on catcher Austin Hedges today, with manager Derek Shelton telling reporters (including Justice delos Santos of MLB.com) that Hedges is “trending in the right direction.” The veteran catcher caught a bullpen today and will hit in the cage. Hedges was placed on the seven-day concussion list during the week. It’s still unclear if the Pirates will be comfortable activating Hedges immediately after the seven days are up. Hedges has appeared in three games so far, failing to tally a hit in nine plate appearances. In his absence, the Pirates called up Tyler Heineman to catch alongside regular backup Jason Delay.
  • Finally, the Orioles should have veteran backstop James McCann back with the team shortly, per Roch Kubatko of MASN. McCann is yet to debut for the Orioles as he works his way back from an oblique strain. McCann has been playing in an rehab assignment at High-A, and will catch there again tonight. Kubatko suggests it’s possible that McCann is activated as early as tomorrow.

Orioles Select Anthony Bemboom; Givens, Tate, McCann Placed On Injured List

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The Orioles finalized their Opening Day roster this morning, selecting the contract of catcher Anthony Bemboom in the process. Lefty John Means, recovering from Tommy John surgery, was placed on the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Baltimore also placed catcher James McCann on the 10-day IL with an oblique strain and placed righties Dillon Tate (flexor strain) and Mychal Givens (left knee inflammation) on the 15-day IL.

Bemboom, 33, appeared in 22 games with the O’s in 2022 and posted a .115/.207/.212 batting line in a tiny sample of 59 plate appearances. He’s a career .160/.231/.265 hitter in 203 big league plate appearances, but he’s drawn plus defensive and framing grades while thwarting 40% of stolen base attempts against him. Bemboom is out of minor league options, so it could be a relatively brief stay on the 40-man roster once McCann is up  to full strength.

The Orioles announced early in camp that Tate had suffered a forearm strain back in November during his offseason program and was likely to miss the first month of the season. The latest timetable indicated a potential mid-May return for the righty, who broke out with 73 2/3 innings of 3.05 ERA ball and served as one of the Orioles’ top late-inning arms in 2022.

McCann, acquired from the Mets over the winter, was expected be a backup to star young catcher Adley Rutschman but reported feeling tightness in his side earlier this week. The Orioles haven’t given a timeline, but even grade 1 oblique strains can cause players to miss around a month of action. The O’s have McCann under contract for two more seasons, though the Mets are picking up the majority of the bill. McCann hit just .220/.282/.328 in two seasons with the Mets, but .258/.325/.452 hitter against lefties who could benefit from more selective usage in with his new team.

Givens returned to the O’s on a one-year, $5MM contract over the winter but last pitched in a spring game on March 16. He was testing his ailing knee earlier in the week but lasted only 10 pitches before departing the mound and showing visible frustration (per MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubtako). There’s no timetable on his return just yet. Givens, who spent the first five and a half seasons of his career with the Orioles, split the 2022 season between the Cubs and Mets. He pitched to a strong 3.38 ERA with a 27.3% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate through 61 1/3 innings between the two teams.

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