Former Baltimore Orioles Fan Favorite to Sign with Arizona Diamondbacks

A former Baltimore Orioles veteran catcher has had a busy day as he was released by one organization only to be picked up by another.

James McCann, who was with the Orioles in 2023 and 2024, will sign a Major League deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, which was posted to X (formerly Twitter).

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Earlier on Sunday Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner reported that the Atlanta Braves had released McCann.

With the recent news of Adley Rutschman going to the injured list, McCann being available quickly caused speculation that Baltimore would be bringing the catcher back. It took just about half an hour for those hopes to be slashed.

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Those obviously aren't otherworldly offensive numbers, but he is a veteran that would at least make a solid presence in the dugout while Rutschman recovers from injury.

The 35-year-old posted a .228/.274/.382 slash line with 14 home runs in 134 games over two years with the Orioles.

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McCann signed a minor league deal with the Braves before the year and has spent the whole year at that level. He's played 41 games in Triple-A and a single game at Double-A.

It is a lower level of competition, but he has slashed .305/.341/.510 with six home runs. He's at least in a good spot.

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While Baltimore would have likely welcomed him back, they will deal with Gary Sanchez and Maverick Handley for the time being.

Sanchez has been red-hot since returning from the injured list. He has a hit in each game that he has started since.

Handley is having a tougher time with just three hits in his first 41 at-bats, which is why fans could be looking for another option at backup.

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