Fresh off their mega signing of Jacob deGrom to a five-year, $185 million, the Texas Rangers could become trade partners with the New York Mets.
According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Rangers could explore a trade for Mets catcher James McCann. As Olney notes, by trading McCann the Mets could shed some of the backstop's $24 million salary, in which he is owed across the next two seasons. McCann has caught 12 of deGrom's starts across 75.2 innings since joining the Mets.
The Mets signed McCann to a lucrative four-year, $40 million deal during the 2020-2021 offseason. At the time, McCann was considered to be the second best catcher available with J.T. Realmuto being a free agent at the same time.
The Mets added McCann coming off two stellar campaigns with the Chicago White Sox from 2020 to 2021. However, his tenure with New York has been a major disappointment. In 182 games for the Mets, the 32-year-old is batting .220 with a .610 OPS.
Now, McCann is expendable with the existence of steady backup Tomas Nido and top prospect sensation Francisco Alvarez banging at the door of playing everyday in the major leagues.
A deal between the Mets and Rangers could potentially be a win-win for both sides. McCann has not performed as a Met, so a change of scenery could work wonders for the veteran backstop, while the Mets would get some salary relief as well.
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