According to a report by Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, the Reds are interested in veteran catcher James McCann. The Orioles and Red Sox have also expressed interest in McCann, but it appears that a reunion is out of the question given Baltimore’s recent agreement with Gary Sanchez.
Prior to settling into a backup role with the Mets and Orioles in recent years, McCann, 34, was a starting-caliber catcher with the Tigers and White Sox. McCann has made 195 combined appearances in 650 plate appearances since the 2022 season began, slashing.218/.269/.353, good for a 75 wRC+ during that span.
Early in his career, McCann had strong defensive metrics in terms of both throwing out runners and framing, but since then, his defense has regressed. McCann was rated by Statcast as a below-average defensive catcher during his tenure in Baltimore. He had mediocre blocking ratings (-12 Blocks) and average throwing out runs (0 CS Above Average).
At this point in his career, McCann isn’t an impact player on either side of the ball, but he would undoubtedly be a better backup catcher than Cincinnati’s in-house options, who include Triple-A rookie Eric Yang and non-roster invitee Alex Jackson.
Yang made his major league debut in 2024 and recorded an 85 wRC+ at Triple-A this past season, while Jackson managed just.122/.201/.237 in 58 games with the Rays last year. Behind starter Tyler Stephenson, McCann’s seasoned consistency might improve the catcher position while leading an incredibly youthful Cincinnati offense off the bench.
According to earlier reports this winter, McCann might try to secure a multi-year guarantee. It’s unclear if the Reds would be interested in offering McCann a longer-term commitment of that kind, but it’s important to keep in mind that current catching market trends indicate he might have to accept a one-year offer anyhow, as more highly regarded players like Sanchez and Jacob Stallings have already agreed to one-year contracts this winter.
Kyle Higashioka, who entered free agency off a breakout year in which he hit 17 home runs in just 263 plate appearances, has received the only two-year contract offered to a free agent catcher thus far this winter. If the Reds look into other
Be the first to comment