The New York Mets have traded catcher James McCann to the Baltimore Orioles for a player to be named later, the team announced on Wednesday night.
With $24 million remaining on the four-year, $40.6 million deal he signed prior to the 2021 season, the Mets will still pay roughly $19 million of it while the Orioles pay the remaining $5 million.
Such a move was likely the only way to facilitate a deal for the 32-year-old, who struggled mightily during his tenure in Queens.
In 182 games with the Mets over two seasons, McCann slashed .220/.282/.328 (.610 OPS) with 13 home runs and 64 RBI. It was nowhere near the kind of production he had posted over his previous six years with the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox, especially his last two years before joining the Mets — offering false hope that the team was able to acquire a legitimate alternative to JT Realmuto, who has gone on to star with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Getting McCann off the roster clears up the logjam the team had created at catcher after signing Omar Narvaez last week. At the moment, he and Tomas Nido will provide the catching rotation until No. 1 prospect Francisco Alvarez ultimately proves that he is ready for the rigors of a No. 1 catcher’s role at the major league level.
