The southern boy will be moving north. Brian McCann and the New York Yankees went from having serious talks to reaching a deal. The All-Star catcher and one of the best players in the position, will be a Yankee after agreeing to a five-year, $85 million deal that will bring a dominant backstop to New York. What can McCann provide and how can he help the Yankees?
First things first, no worries about the adjustment period, former teammate, Mark Teixeira can show him the way around the city. McCann is a Georgia boy and he moved his way up the Atlanta Braves' organization. However, after becoming a free agent and noticing how successful they team's rotation was with Evan Gattis at the start of the season, the Braves decided they could keep Gattis at the catcher position.
The Braves will now depend on Gattis and rookie Christian Bethancourt to man the plate and lead the starting rotation, which was one of the best in the majors. However, though McCann missed time at the beginning of the season, he was around these guys, schooling them and teaching them a few things about how to call a baseball game. The Yankees now have the priviledge of owning one of the best catchers in the game.
After Buster Posey and Yadier Molina, McCann has to be the best catcher in baseball. With the bat, McCann will give you power, smacking at least 20 home runs per season since 2008. He will not play every game, averaging just 123 games per season, but he is efficient at the plate and will make the most of his at-bats.
When he does not hit a home run, McCann does a great job of getting on-base, posting a career .350 OBP. He does a great job making contact and has never struck out 100 times in a season.
The Yankees get a bat in their lineup and with the short porch at Yankee Stadium, McCann could maybe even hit 30-35. The Yankees do not have to worry about getting elite pitchers, McCann will make them great. Granted, the Braves had very talented young arms, McCann was able to lead them year after year, even after the team lost prominent players.
The Yankees can now focus on signing other players and go after veteran starters left on the market. Again, with McCann, the Yankees can get a decent pitching rotation and allow him to make them great.
