The Mets have spent most of their offseason bringing in (or re-signing) players, but New York on Wednesday night also made a move to ship someone out.
The Mets traded catcher James McCann and cash considerations to the Baltimore Orioles for a player to be named later, both clubs announced.
McCann has two years and $24 million remaining on his contract, but the Orioles will assume just $5 million, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, meaning the Mets will cover the other $19 million.
The news isn’t all that surprising, seeing as the Mets last week agreed to a two-year deal with fellow backstop Omar Narváez and have top prospect Francisco Álvarez knocking on the door after debuting in the majors in 2022. The Orioles already have American League Rookie of the Year runner-up Adley Rutschman installed behind the plate, so McCann will slide into a backup role with Baltimore.
McCann, 32, spent five seasons with the Detroit Tigers and two seasons with the Chicago White Sox before landing in Queens ahead of the 2021 campaign. He was an All-Star in 2019 — a year in which he slashed .273/.328/.460 with a career-high 18 home runs and 60 RBIs — and had a very good pandemic-shortened 2020, but he’s since been on a downward trajectory, providing the Mets with just two seasons of below-replacement-level production despite signing a four-year, $40.6 million contract with New York in Major League Baseball free agency.
McCann posted a .195/.257/.282 line with three homers and 18 RBIs in 61 games (191 plate appearances) last season. The Mets have been spending freely this offseason, so money hardly seems like a consideration at this point, but the move nevertheless saves New York a few bucks as the organization prepares to exceed all four thresholds of the competitive balance tax by a significant margin.
The Orioles are a young, up-and-coming team, with their 83-79 record in 2022 serving as evidence of such. McCann will give the O’s some additional veteran leadership as they once again navigate a difficult AL East that includes the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox.
