James McCann

Angels Notes: Watson, Royals, McCann, Rojas

By Mark Polishuk | December 12, 2020 at 3:59pm CDT

Gene Watson is leaving the Royals for the Angels’ front office, ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter link). Watson will be a special advisor to new Angels GM Perry Minasian, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, and The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya recently chronicled Watson’s longstanding ties to Minasian dating back to Minasian’s childhood.

Watson has spent the last 14 seasons with the Royals, the last three as the team’s senior director of pro scouting and a special assistant to GM Dayton Moore. Watson previously worked as a scout with the Padres, Braves, and Marlins before coming to Kansas City, and his long career as a respected evaluator put him on the radar for general manager openings in the past. Of greatest relevance, Watson interviewed for the Angels’ job before Minasian was hired, and Watson also spoke with the Astros about their GM vacancy last offseason.

Free Agent Notes: McCann, Angels, Yankees, Lester, Castro

By Connor Byrne and Steve Adams | December 9, 2020 at 4:25pm CDT

It appeared earlier Wednesday that catcher James McCann would join the Mets, though an agreement hasn’t materialized yet, and they’re not the only team chasing him at the moment. Robert Murray of FanSided tweets that the Angels are still in contention for McCann, a California native who would seemingly provide an upgrade over their current backstops, Max Stassi and Anthony Bemboom. McCann was just a backup with the White Sox last season, but he logged terrific offensive numbers then and was impressive as a starter in 2019. It could take a four-year deal to land him this winter.

Some more notes on the open market…

The Yankees haven’t shown interest in re-signing right-hander Masahiro Tanaka, Andy Martino of SNY says (video link). The team is more focused on re-signing second baseman DJ LeMahieu, but it doesn’t seem likely to dole out any other sizable contracts, according to Martino. Tanaka has been a dependable part of the Yankees’ rotation since he emigrated from Japan in 2014, but the club may pass on bringing him back and instead decide to ride with its in-house options to begin 2021. The YES Network’s Michael Kay painted a similar picture recently on his ESPN Radio show (link via NJ.com’s Randy Miller). Kay noted that LeMahieu is the team’s top priority, adding that if a deal comes together, he “might be the last big guy they get.” Reports over the past several months have indicated that the Yankees are unlikely to be aggressive spenders this winter, with LeMahieu serving as a possible exception after two brilliant years in the Bronx.
Red Sox fans hoping to see a reunion with lefty Jon Lester don’t seem likely to get their wish, as WEEI’s Rob Bradford reports that Boston hasn’t reached out to its former ace this offseason. Right-handers Corey Kluber and Matt Shoemaker are among the names the Red Sox have contacted as they look to stabilize the back of their rotation, per Bradford. Boston also had interest in Charlie Morton before he signed with the Braves, although remaining close to his family’s Florida home was a priority for Morton.
The Astros and Rangers are among the teams with interest in catcher Jason Castro, Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweets. Castro began his career as a member of the Astros, with whom he played from 2010-16, before joining the Twins in free agency. The 33-year-old has regularly combined passable offense with well-regarded defense (particularly as a pitch framer), though he is coming off a somewhat disappointing campaign at the plate between the Angels and Padres. If he goes back to Houston, the left-handed-hitting Castro could platoon with righty Martin Maldonado. In Texas, he would presumably team with Jose Trevino to comprise the Rangers’ top two backstops.

Mets Nearing Deal With James McCann

By Steve Adams | December 9, 2020 at 12:02pm CDT

12:02pm: The two sides do not yet have an agreement in place, tweets MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. Martino tweets that the Mets have indicated they’re willing to go to four years, however, so the final haggling could be a matter of the exact dollar point associated with that term.

11:29am: The Mets and free-agent catcher James McCann are closing in on what is expected to be a four-year contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). SNY’s Andy Martino reported this morning that talks between the two sides had picked up steam. McCann is represented by the Ballengee Group.

A deal with McCann will obviously take the Mets out of the market for top free-agent catcher J.T. Realmuto, although indications over the past week have been that McCann was the team’s primary catching target — not Realmuto. McCann has long stood out as the No. 2 catcher on this market, and the Mets’ decision to sign him has been linked to their pursuit of higher-profile free agents at other positions, namely center fielder George Springer and right-hander Trevor Bauer.

A four-year pact for McCann would cap off a remarkable turnaround for the 30-year-old backstop, who just two offseasons ago was non-tendered by the Tigers on the heels of a disastrous year at the plate. McCann quickly hooked on with the White Sox, signing a modest one-year deal to serve as a backup, but he broke out both at the plate and behind the plate as a defender during his time on Chicago’s south side — so much that he’s established himself as a clear starting option.

Over the past two seasons in Chicago, McCann has raked at a .276/.334/.474 clip with 25 home runs, 29 doubles and a triple in 587 plate appearances. The uptick in production at the plate is supported by several underlying metrics; McCann’s average exit velocity sat at 87.8 mph in 2018 but jumped to 90.2 mph with the White Sox.

McCann also boosted his hard-hit rate from 37.1 percent with the Tigers in ’18 to 44.9 percent with the South Siders thanks in large part to nearly doubling the rate at which he barrels pitches. McCann’s line-drive rate has risen with the Sox, too, as his infield fly rate has dropped. McCann’s strikeout rate has trended upward a bit with the White Sox, but the extra whiffs have been more than offset by the improvement in the quality of the contact when he does put bat to ball.

Behind the plate, McCann has long been adept at controlling the running game. Even with the Tigers, he nabbed 37 percent of those who attempted to take a base against him. One knock on McCann, however, was on his receiving ability — or lack thereof. McCann ranked well below average in terms of framing metrics for much of his time with the Tigers and even early in his White Sox tenure — a flaw that likely influenced the White Sox’ decision to sign Yasmani Grandal to a four-year pact last winter.

Recognizing that shortcoming, McCann spent the bulk of his offseason working with catching guru Jerry Narron to improve his receiving and framing. The results paid off, as Statcast ranked McCann as much-improved in that regard, particularly with pitches at the bottom of the strike zone, which was where he’d struggled most. McCann went from garnering strike calls on just 44.1 percent of pitches at or slightly below the bottom of the zone to an excellent 61.8 percent. One can suggest that there’s some small-sample smoke and mirrors at play, but McCann’s improvement was pronounced enough that it can’t be entirely dismissed as small-sample noise. It would seem that the Mets agree.

There’s certainly some risk to the deal for the Mets, particularly given the four-year term. While McCann has been excellent since Opening Day 2019, his more limited role early in 2019 and this past season’s shortened slate of games leave us with only about one full season’s worth of data supporting his offensive gains. That said, Mets catchers hit just .239/.294/.403 in 2020, so the bar to clear for overall improvement isn’t a particularly high one.

If the deal with McCann does indeed come to fruition, he’ll be the second notable veteran in as many weeks to join the Mets on a multi-year deal. Longtime Twins setup man Trevor May, one of the market’s top relievers, inked a two-year deal worth a guaranteed $15.5MM last week. The Mets have yet to finalize their search for a new general manager, but former GM Sandy Alderson has returned to the club as team president and is calling the shots in the baseball operations department under new owner Steve Cohen.

Latest On James McCann, Mets

By Steve Adams | December 9, 2020 at 9:45am CDT

Dec. 9: Talks between the Mets and McCann have recently gained further momentum, per Martino.

Dec. 4: While the Mets have stepped up their efforts on the McCann front, there were still multiple other clubs negotiating with his camp as of last night, Jon Morosi reported on MLB Network this morning (video link).

Dec. 3, 12:44pm: While talks are ongoing, the two sides are not yet close to finalizing a deal, tweets Martino.

12:31pm: The Mets are in “active talks” with McCann, tweets Fansided’s Robert Murray, who adds that a four-year deal indeed looks possible. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets that the Mets are making a “serious push” to land the former White Sox backstop.

12:28pm: While the Mets have been linked to J.T. Realmuto ever since news of Steve Cohen’s purchase of the franchise broke, reports surrounding the team’s pursuit of a catcher have pointed in other directions early in the offseason. SNY’s Andy Martino reported recently that James McCann was more firmly in the team’s crosshairs, and Joel Sherman of the New York Post now suggests the same, citing executives from two other teams involved in the free-agent catching market who believe the Mets’ pursuit of McCann is “intensifying.”

Certainly that doesn’t mean that a deal is close to fruition, and it’s eminently possible that McCann’s reps are broadcasting confidence to other clubs that does not quite align with New York’s actual level of aggression. Still, it’s worth noting that one of the execs to whom Sherman spoke suggested McCann could even command a four-year deal given the early activity on the second-tier market for catchers.

A four-year pact would be a surprise for even the most bullish projections. We oscillated between a two- and three-year deal for McCann when discussing predictions for our Top 50 Free Agent rankings, with majority ultimately leading to two-year prediction. Four years was never a real consideration. McCann’s 2019-20 run with the White Sox was quite strong, as he made considerable gains in his production at the plate (.276/.334/.474), the underlying metrics behind that output (career-high hard-hit rate, exit velocity, barrel rate) and in terms of his ability to frame pitches — particularly his ability to gain strike calls at the bottom of the zone. However, his 2018 season in Detroit led to a non-tender, and as good as he’s been with the South Siders across the past two seasons, it’s a sample size of 587 plate appearances.

If the Mets do indeed prefer a smaller-scale deal with McCann to the likely $100MM+ contract that Realmuto will command at some point this offseason, they’d have ample resources left to pursue other big-ticket items — be it free-agent pursuits of George Springer, Trevor Bauer and/or DJ LeMahieu or trade negotiations for a prominent name (Cleveland’s Francisco Lindor, Colorado’s Nolan Arenado, Chicago’s Kris Bryant, etc.). They’ve already crossed one item off their shopping list, having introduced righty Trevor May on a new two-year contract this afternoon.

Whether a deal ultimately comes together remains to be seen, though if the early weeks of the offseason have told us anything, it’s that if the reports on their increased interest in McCann aren’t accurate, Cohen himself may just make that known to the world on Twitter.

Mets Rumors: Springer, McCann

By Connor Byrne | November 30, 2020 at 8:48pm CDT

Free-agent outfielder George Springer could be the No. 1 offseason target for the Mets, according to SNY’s Andy Martino, who writes that the longtime Astro “remains heavily in the mix.” Meanwhile, Martino hears that the Mets are more aggressively going after catcher James McCann than fellow backstop J.T. Realmuto.

Springer would join an already loaded Mets outfield that includes Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil and Dominic Smith as potential options for 2021. Nimmo was the only member of that group to line up in center field last season, though he struggled to minus-five Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-4.1 Ultimate Zone Rating over 308 1/3 innings there. Conversely, Springer posted six DRS with a minus-0.4 UZR across 338 innings, and he has typically performed well at the position since he first debuted there in 2014.

Of course, anyone who signs Springer wouldn’t be doing so primarily because of his defense. Rather, that team would be adding him on account of the immense impact Springer has made with his bat. This past season was the latest tremendous offensive effort for the 31-year-old Springer, who slashed .265/.359/.540 (146 wRC+) with 14 home runs in 222 plate appearances.

The Mets seem to have a bigger need behind the plate than in their outfield, as Wilson Ramos and Robinson Chirinos are free agents. The most established catcher on their roster is Tomas Nido, who owns a woeful line of .197/.234/.319 (46 wRC+) in 270 MLB plate appearances. That suggests the team will upgrade from outside the organization in the coming months. McCann, who’s coming off an impressive season, should cost far less than Realmuto, but he won’t be easy to acquire for the Mets and deep-pocketed owner Steve Cohen. At least six teams have shown interest in McCann early this offseason, so there will be plenty of competition to sign him.

At Least Six Teams Showing Interest In James McCann

By Steve Adams | November 30, 2020 at 10:05am CDT

Yadier Molina has drawn the most headlines among catchers early in free agency, in part due to the willingness of both him and his agent to go on-record to discuss the veteran’s market. However, James McCann is drawing interest from a similar collection of teams, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link), with the Yankees, Mets, Cardinals, Angels and incumbent White Sox among the clubs to express some interest in the free-agent backstop. The Phillies would have interest in the event that J.T. Realmuto signs elsewhere, Heyman adds.

Given that each of these clubs, with the exception of the White Sox and Phillies, has already expressed interest in Molina, it’s not much of a surprise that they’d also at least gauge McCann’s asking price. There’s been speculation about the Yankees moving on from Gary Sanchez for months, while the Mets currently lack a starting-caliber backstop on their roster. The Angels got a big year out of Max Stassi in 2020, but that was obviously a rather limited sample and Stassi’s prior track record is less impressive.

The Cardinals may raise some eyebrows, given their interest in retaining Molina, but it’s only logical that with Molina exploring other options they’d do the same. Should Molina get the two-year deal he’s seeking from another club, the Cards could pivot to McCann or simply remain in-house and turn the keys over to 26-year-old Andrew Knizner.

As for the White Sox, their interest in keeping McCann is well known, but it’s unlikely to result in a deal. The ChiSox signed Yasmani Grandal to a franchise-record four-year, $73MM contract last winter, and with three years remaining on that arrangement there’s simply no room for McCann to get everyday at-bats. McCann spoke earlier this offseason about his free agency, telling NBC Sports Chicago’s Chuck Garfien that he feels he’s earned the opportunity to be a team’s starting catcher. The White Sox can’t offer that with Grandal under contract.

It’s hard to dispute McCann’s feelings after a pair of terrific seasons with the South Siders. While he was non-tendered by the Tigers after a dismal 2018 campaign, McCann has more than bounced back in Chicago; he’s taken his game to new heights. McCann was a bit shy of a league-average bat as Detroit’s primary catcher in 2017, but he’s broken out with a .276/.334/.474 batting line in 587 plate appearances with the White Sox (116 wRC+).

He’s made strides in terms of hard-hit rate and exit velocity, supporting that offensive breakout, and McCann also improved defensively quite a bit this past season. He’s always been adept at controlling runners (career 35.8 percent caught-stealing rate), but McCann prioritized improving his pitch-framing this past offseason, and the results were strong. Statcast reflects that McCann went from one of the worst catchers in the game at framing pitches on the bottom of the zone to one of the game’s best. It’s a small sample, to be sure, but it’d be a reach to suggest that McCann simply lucked his way from getting 44.8 percent of such pitches called all the way up to 61.8 percent.

The Phillies probably aren’t the only club who view McCann as a “Plan B” to Realmuto, but there also figure to be teams that know they cannot afford Realmuto and are thus willing to act more quickly. McCann and his agents will have to determine whether they’re better served taking one of those early offers or holding out until Realmuto is off the market. The latter route could lead to increased interest, but it’s also possible some teams that are willing to act now will have already filled their need at catcher or spent the majority of their offseason budget by that point.

James McCann On Free Agency

By Steve Adams | November 9, 2020 at 2:30pm CDT

James McCann is headed to the free agent market under much different circumstances than last time around. Non-tendered by the Tigers after a rough 2018 showing, McCann latched on with the White Sox and went on to give the South Siders a pair of very strong seasons — including an All-Star campaign in 2019. While he served as a backup to Yasmani Grandal in 2020, McCann still worked into the mix at DH in addition to his time behind the plate.

In an appearance on NBC Sports Chicago’s White Sox Talk podcast late last week (audio link), McCann discussed his return to the open market. Asked by host Chuck Garfien about how important it is for him to secure a starting role, McCann replied:

It’s something that I feel like I’ve earned in my career. I definitely think there is a lot that goes into that — being the guy and being able to run the staff. I do feel like that’s something that I’ve earned. But like I’ve said all along, I’m not burning any bridges, and we’ll see what the next few months hold.

McCann declined to delve into specifics when asked about potential clubs that might be fits or may have even already contacted him, instead just emphasizing the point that every team needs experienced catching.

While neither McCann or the White Sox is formally closing the door on their relationship, it seems hard to imagine a return scenario with Grandal signed for three more years. J.T. Realmuto is the top name on the open market, but McCann very arguably is the next-best alternative. He’s made huge strides both offensively and defensively since signing in Chicago, hitting a combined .276/.334/.474 with 25 homers in 587 plate appearances. He’s dramatically improved his exit velocity, hard-hit rate and barrel rate with the South Siders. After an offseason focused on improving his framing last winter, McCann posted career-best numbers in that department in 2020 en route to a Gold Glove nomination.

The White Sox obviously aren’t in the market for a starting catcher, but any of the Mets, Phillies, Rays, Angels, Rockies, Yankees, Nationals or Marlins could be expected to pursue upgrades over incumbent options. McCann declined to discuss contractual specifics, sidestepping a question about the possibility of taking a one-year deal in hopes of finding a stronger free-agent market next winter. “I think my play the last few years has put a value on me, and that’s where we are,” said McCann.

We at MLBTR ranked McCann as this offseason’s No. 16 free agent on our Top 50 rankings, with the team a two-year, $20MM contract prediction. It’s certainly possible that McCann could take home a three-year arrangement. He’ll be of particular interest for clubs that want an upgrade behind the plate but aren’t given ownership approval to pursue a mega-deal with Realmuto and/or may not want to try to lure a 38-year-old Yadier Molina away from St. Louis.

Gold Glove Nominees Announced

By TC Zencka | October 22, 2020 at 3:20pm CDT

The 2020 Rawlings Glove Glove Award finalists have been released, with the Cubs netting the most nominations with seven. The Mets, Nationals, Phillies, Brewers, Rays, and Red Sox were shut out.

The awards for defensive prowess will be handed out based on defensive metrics alone this year, since managers and coaches weren’t able to see players outside their regional bubble. Moving to a metrics-based system, even for a year, certainly make for interesting television, especially since these awards can make an impact on arbitration cases. Considering the uncertainty of a 60-game season, awards could carry greater weight than usual in those proceedings, thought that’s just speculation. Without further ado, here are this year’s nominees:

AL Pitcher

Griffin Canning (LAA)
Kenta Maeda (MIN)
Zach Plesac (CLE)

NL Pitcher

Max Fried (ATL)
Kyle Hendricks (CHC)
Alec Mills (CHC)

AL Catcher

Yasmani Grandal (CHW)
James McCann (CHW)
Roberto Perez (CLE)

NL Catcher

Tucker Barnhart (CIN)
Willson Contreras (CHC)
Jacob Stallings (PIT)

AL First Base

Yuli Gurriel (HOU)
Matt Olson (OAK)
Evan White (SEA)

NL First Base

Brandon Belt (SF)
Paul Goldschmidt (STL)
Anthony Rizzo (CHC)

AL Second Base

Cesar Hernandez (CLE)
Danny Mendick (CHW)
Jonathan Schoop (DET)
Nicky Lopez (KC)

NL Second Base

Adam Frazier (PIT)
Nico Hoerner (CHC)
Kolten Wong (STL)

AL Third Base

Isiah Kiner-Falefa (TEX)
Yoan Moncada (CHW)
Gio Urshela (NYY)

NL Third Base

Brian Anderson (MIA)
Nolan Arenado (COL)
Manny Machado (SD)

AL Shortstop

Carlos Correa (HOU)
J.P. Crawford (SEA)
Niko Goodrum (DET)

NL Shortstop

Javier Baez (CHC)
Miguel Rojas (MIA)
Dansby Swanson (ATL)

AL Left Field

Alex Gordon (KC)
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (TOR)
Kyle Tucker (HOU)

NL Left Field

Shogo Akiyama (CIN)
David Peralta (ARI)
Tyler O’Neill (STL)

AL Centerfield

Byron Buxton (MIN)
Ramon Laureano (OAK)
Luis Robert (CHW)

NL Centerfield

Ronald Acuna Jr. (ATL)
Cody Bellinger (LAD)
Trent Grisham (SD)

AL Right Field

Clint Frazier (NYY)
Joey Gallo (TEX)
Anthony Santander (BAL)

NL Right Field

Mookie Betts (LAD)
Charlie Blackmon (COL)
Jason Heyward (CHC)

Nicky Lopez of the Royals was originally left off the list, but he is in fact a nominee at second base, one of four nominations at the keystone in the American League. It’s the only position with four nominations.

There are a few other interesting things of note. Perennial candidates like Andrelton Simmons and Matt Chapman did not make the list this year due to shortened seasons, nor did last season’s Outs Above Average leader Victor Robles. Both Gurriel brothers earned nominations this year, with the younger Lourdes (LF) joining perennial candidate Yuli (1B).

There are also a couple of largely part-time players that made the cut, like Hoerner of the Cubs and Mendick for the White Sox. Neither was the everyday second baseman, but they did reach the inning minimum of 265 total defensive innings. They qualified at second because that’s where they played the most innings. Mendick, for example, registered just 226 innings at second, but with 27 innings at third and 15 at shortstop, he ended the year with 268 total defensive innings played.

Catchers required a minimum of 29 games, which is how we got a pair of White Sox catchers making the top-3. Pitchers had to throw a minimum of 50 innings.

The winners will be selected using the SABR Defensive Index and announced on November 3rd, per sabr.org.

AL Central Notes: Boyd, McCann, Twins

By Steve Adams | January 13, 2020 at 7:24am CDT

The Tigers and left-hander/persistent trade candidate Matthew Boyd agreed to a one-year deal to avoid arbitration on Friday, but Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press suggests that the two sides could yet discuss a lengthier pact. While it’s unlikely that the Scott Boras-represented Boyd would sign away any free-agent years, the two sides could discuss a deal that’d lock in his remaining arbitration years. That would provide the Tigers with cost certainty and create the potential for a relative bargain in the event that Boyd puts it all together after showing flashes of dominance in 2019 but struggling with home runs (as many of his peers did this past season). For Boyd, it’d protect him against an injury or notable decline prior to hitting the open market in the 2022-23 offseason — when he’ll be heading into his age-32 season.

Latest On James McCann

By Connor Byrne | December 17, 2019 at 9:49pm CDT

White Sox catcher James McCann was quietly one of the most productive backstops of 2019, during which he slashed .273/.328/.460 with 2.3 fWAR across 476 plate appearances. But McCann’s offensive numbers petered out as the year progressed, and he’s now done as the team’s No. 1 option after it signed fellow catcher Yasmani Grandal to a club-record guarantee worth $73MM over four years just under a month ago.

Despite adding Grandal as their undisputed first-string catcher, the White Sox appear perfectly content to retain McCann as a backup. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, it would take an overwhelming offer for the White Sox to part with McCann, who’s entering his final year of team control (in which he’ll earn a projected $4.9MM).

Even though the free-agent market for catchers has shrunk (Grandal and Travis d’Arnaud are among those who have signed), odds are good that no one will bowl over Chicago in an effort to get McCann. After all, before heading to the Windy City, McCann was largely a below-average producer with the Tigers from 2014-18 – a 1,658-plate appearance span in which he managed a meager .240/.288/.366 line. That subpar performance helped influence the Tigers to non-tender McCann a little over 12 months ago. Behind the plate, McCann has regularly fared well at throwing out would-be base stealers. The 29-year-old has caught 36 percent of runners (compared to a 29 percent league-average mark) since he first cracked the majors. However, McCann has typically earned poor overall defensive marks from Baseball Prospectus.

While McCann does have his flaws, he could nonetheless keep garnering a solid amount of playing time if the White Sox keep him. Grandal’s locked in as their top catcher, but he’s a good enough offensive hitter to pick up reps at DH and/or first base should the club try to limit his wear and tear, which would open up playing time for McCann.

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