The combination of offensive prowess, defensive skill, and leadership was enough that McCann was expected to command serious money in free agency. Indeed, some expected him to break nine figures with at least a six-year commitment from whoever signed him.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, McCann did not quite hit those figures. But he certainly did well for himself, getting $85 million over five years from the Yankees.<\/p>\n
NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 05: New York Yankees head coach Joe Girardi presents catcher Brian McCann with his jersey during his introductory press conference at Yankee Stadium on December 5, 2013 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Maddie Meyer\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n On the surface, it looked like the Yankees had answer their question at catcher for the next half-decade. Even then though, there were warning signs.<\/p>\n McCann entered free agency having played the least number of games over the previous two seasons since he became a full-time player. Worse, while he bounced back in 2013, his bat disappeared in 2012.<\/p>\n In late October, Benjamin Hoffman warned in the New York Times about the potential downside of a McCann signing, writing that \u201cgiven his position, his recent decline in durability and an expected drop in production as he enters his 30s, he appears to be the most likely of this off-season\u2019s big-ticket free agents to end up becoming an albatross for the team that signs him.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoffman\u2019s prediction did not quite come to pass, though McCann never approached his previous offensive heights with the Yankees (or after his tenure in New York, for that matter). His bat hovered around league average for his three seasons in pinstripes. Combined with his defense and positional value, by FanGraphs WAR he compiled roughly 8.0 fWAR over his three seasons in the Bronx. And he did have his moments.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Yankees continued to flirt with mediocrity. In McCann\u2019s three seasons in the Bronx, the club never won more than 87 games, which they managed in 2015. That year, they made the playoffs only to lose the American League Wild Card Game to soon-to-be mortal enemies the Houston Astros. Four pitchers combined to shut the Yankees out 3-0. For his part, McCann went 0-for-4 in his only playoff game as a Yankee.<\/p>\n 2016 saw the electrifying emergence of Gary S\u00e1nchez<\/a>, who clubbed 20 home runs and finished second in AL Rookie of Year voting despite only playing 53 games. With \u201cThe Kraken\u201d in the Bronx, McCann realized his time as the Yankees\u2019 main catcher had come to an end and he asked for a trade.<\/p>\n The Yankee front office accommodated his request, and during the offseason dealt McCann to the aforementioned Astros for a pair of pitching prospects, Albert Abreu and Jorge Guzman. Because no good dead goes unpunished, McCann came back to haunt the Yankees.<\/p>\n Through the first six games of the 2017 ALCS, Yankee pitching kept their former backstop in check. But in Game 7, back in Houston, McCann broke the Yankees\u2019 backs. Already trailing 2-0 after an Evan Gattis home run the previous inning and a Jose Altuve dinger earlier in the fifth, McCann came to the plate, facing Tommy Kahnle, who\u2019d replaced starter CC Sabathia. Needing one out to escape the frame and with McCann down to his final strike, Kahnle instead surrendered a two-run double that extended the Astros lead to 4-0. On a night when Charlie Morton and Lance McCullers Jr. combined to throw a three-hit shutout, that was more than enough.<\/p>\n For whatever it\u2019s worth, McCann was not thrilled with the Astros\u2019 infamous sign-stealing scheme and tried to push back on it<\/a> with fellow veteran and former Yankees teammate Carlos Beltr\u00e1n. Longtime friend and catcher Evan Gattis also noted McCann\u2019s discomfort<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cI could tell it was eating him up,\u201d Gattis said. \u201cHe didn\u2019t like it one bit. \u2026 He\u2019s played so long, and he just understands what it takes to get to the big leagues, and he\u2019s got a lot of respect for ballplayers. You could just tell (he was opposed to the cheating).\u201d<\/p>\n This does not fully exonerate McCann, as he still benefitted from the whole endeavor and it\u2019s not as though his 2017 at-bats were completely devoid of \u201cbangs<\/a>.\u201d How angry should you be about McCann being on those 2017 Astros? That\u2019s really a question that you can only answer yoruself.<\/p>\n As it stood, McCann won his first and only World Series that year and played two more seasons before retiring, fittingly, as an Atlanta Brave. In his first year on the ballot for the Hall of Fame, McCann received only seven votes (1.8%), falling off future ballots.<\/p>\n But make no mistake. He was a Hall of Very Good catcher and the Yankees have made far worse free agent signings over the years.<\/p>\n Brian McCann. Baseball-Reference.<\/p>\n Hoch, Bryan. \u201cYanks deal McCann to Astros for pitching prospects.\u201d MLB. November 17, 2016.<\/p>\n Hoffman, Benjamin. \u201cWith Gritty Slugger Brian McCann, It\u2019s Buyer Beware.\u201d New York Times. October 31, 2013.<\/p>\n Jaffe, Jay. \u201cJAWS and the 2025 Hall of Fame Ballot: Brian McCann.\u201d FanGraphs. December 20, 2024.<\/p>\n Waldstein, David. \u201cHow Yanks May Proceed, Cano or No Cano.\u201d New York Times. December 4, 2013.<\/p>\n Waldstein, David. \u201cYankees Set to Resume Cano Negotiations, With Sides Still Far Apart.\u201d New York Times. November 18, 2013.<\/p>\n![\"NEW](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gettyimages-453799975.jpg\"\/)
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