According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Mets are one of several teams who have reached out to former Chicago White Sox catcher James McCann. The New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Angels and White Sox are also in pursuit of the backstop.
The 30-year-old veteran is largely viewed as the second most appealing catching free agent behind J.T Realmuto.
Over the last two seasons, McCann has really come into his own at the dish, with a .273/.328/.460 batting line in 2019 to go along with a .333 wOBA and 109 wRC+, and a .289/.360/.536 clip with a .378 wOBA and 144 wRC+ a in the shortened 2020 season, respectively.
Behind the plate, McCann has thrown out more than 30 percent of the runners attempting to steal on him each year since 2015, and in 2020, the White Sox pitching staff had a 3.81 team ERA which was good for fifth best in the league. However, taking a deeper dive into McCann’s last full season in 2019, his Fielding Runs Above Average (FRAA) ranked at the bottom of the league at -10.2 and his Catcher Defensive Adjustment (CDA) was No. 111 out of 123 qualifying catchers at -7.6.
McCann could be desirable on a short term deal if the Mets miss out on Realmuto, and he could potentially work as a bridge to when Mets top catching prospect Francisco Alvarez is ready for big league action.
