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.