Orioles Reportedly 'Never Came Into Play' for Reunion With Fan Favorite

It's been a turnstile for the Baltimore Orioles at the catcher position as of late.

Following Adley Rutschman hitting the injured list for the first time in his career, Maverick Handley was then placed on the 7-day concussion list following a nasty collision with Jazz Chisholm Jr. during their series against the New York Yankees.

Because of that, many in the fanbase were hoping the Orioles would reunite with James McCann after he was released by the Atlanta Braves.

Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed when it was immediately announced that he had signed a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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With the dust settling on that front, some more information has started to come out. And according to Roch Kubatko of MASN, Baltimore was never really interested in signing the former fan favorite.

"The Orioles never came into play. The sides had some early talks but nothing recent," he reported.

That's a bit disappointing to hear.

McCann earned the respect of everyone last summer when he played with a broken nose after getting hit in the face by a fastball during the first inning of a game. And to add even more juice to his folktale, he didn't go on the injured list and instead wore a protective mask while playing.

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Still, it's hard to predict what the 35-year-old would bring to the table in 2025.

He's yet to appear in an MLB game this season, and even though the catcher position seems dire right now for the Orioles because of injuries, the organization might have been more comfortable with giving their own internal options chances and signing another veteran Jacob Stallings.

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It will be interesting to monitor this situation going forward.

Rutschman isn't expected to be back on the field until after the All-Star break, and depending how long Handley is out and if Gary Sanchez's output begins to plummet again, Baltimore could be in major trouble when it comes to fielding a competent catcher unit.

And since this past offseason is seen as a disaster, if McCann has a good showing with the Diamondbacks, that will not sit well with the fans.

For more Orioles news, head over to Orioles On SI.