Brian McCann is going to have his share of suitors as the top catcher in Free Agency and the baseball purist certainly chose a great off season to capitalize. Big market teams such as: Toronto, Boston, New York and Texas would seem to be favored destinations.
The case for New York:
Catcher was a black hole last season on offense and McCann offers a powerful lefty swing with an inviting short porch in right field. New York has three players with pending qualifying offers out there right now, so losing the draft pick may not be a huge concern since the Yankees stand to have extra compensation picks between rounds one and two.
The case for Boston:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia was not extended a qualifying offer which would seem to imply the Red Sox either do not intend to bring him back, or are completely confident they will resign him.
“Salty” was benched during the World Series in favor of backup, David Ross, but it’s unclear how much a small sample size impacts a season where the catcher eclipsed 20 HR and 40 doubles while calling a solid game for a familiar staff.
Why is this all important? If Saltalamacchia is not brought back, McCann is a real possibility.
The case for Toronto:
J.P. Arencibia and Josh Thole are not long-term solutions and this Jays’ team will need to make more splashes to truly contend. Still, it’s a short argument since the team was derailed with subpar pitching last season and has an outfield to fill.
The case for Texas:
The Rangers are without a starting catcher on the roster and are in need of a middle of the order bat. If they don’t head the way of a big time out field bat, look for McCann to continue the trend of offensive catchers in Arlington. This is McCann’s most likely destination.
