Aug 24, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks catcher James McCann against the Cincinnati Reds at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Diamondbacks Re-Sign Key Veteran Catcher

Originally posted on Arizona Diamondbacks on SI
By Alex D'Agostino | Last updated Nov 21, 2025 3:39 PM ET

The Arizona Diamondbacks have made their first major league signing of the offseason, bringing back veteran catcher James McCann on a one-year deal, according to a report from The Athletic 's Ken Rosenthal on X/Twitter.

The deal is for $2.75 million, with an additional $500,000 in bonsues added. Contract details provided by AZCentral's Nick Piecoro.

McCann will return to the club he enjoyed a resurgent year with in the 2025 season, and the first need of the D-backs' offseason checklist has officially been filled.

Arizona Diamondbacks Re-Sign James McCann

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

McCann was sitting on the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A roster midway through the 2025 season, when former teammate and current injured D-backs ace Corbin Burnes urged GM Mike Hazen and Arizona's front office to sign the veteran backstop.

In the wake of an injury to Gabriel Moreno, McCann was brought on, and immediately began to play at a high level.

For the season, McCann hit to a .260/.324/.431 slash with five homers — his best offensive numbers since the shortened 2020 season with the Chicago White Sox.

Since then, McCann had not been much of an offensive threat, but appeared to find a more consistent swing as a member of the D-backs.

McCann's value went well beyond what he was able to provide at the plate, however. The veteran was a calming presence in a young clubhouse, and was able to consistently get the best possible results out of Arizona's pitching staff.

That earned him plenty of praise from manager Torey Lovullo and his teammates. For a club so full of youth, with a relatively inexperienced (and injury-prone) starting catcher in Moreno, McCann was a valuable asset.

In fact, he even began to take on a larger share of the starting catcher duties as the season went on as a result of the work he was doing behind the dish.

Of course, this is only the beginning of the long list of needs for the D-backs this offseason. Pitching will be the highest priority, with limited payroll to work with.

But bringing back a player that was valuable beyond his performance on the field — who was able to help the struggling pitching staff begin to turn their results in a more favorable direction — is a low-risk, high-reward move.

The money spent on McCann's contract hardly eats too heavily into their available payroll, and the one-year length does not bind the D-backs to a long-term committment.