Does anyone know with certainty what McCann's contract situation is? I thought he was up after this year but on multiple sites it lists as a mutual option and on the site I use the most it says it has already vested meaning it's a player option for 15 Million next year? I know he has reached the plate appearances but thought he had to start 90 games at catcher this year for it to vest? I think McCann has been a very integral part of our success over the past year and a half, but he certainly has the look of a player with greatly diminishing skills. I haven't been "all in" on moving a top prospect as part of a package for Realmuto, but the more I see the more I wonder if we should go that way. I don't think Luhnow will move Tucker, but would a package around Alvarez/Bukauskas/White-Reed be worth an All Star level catcher with two more years of control? I'm starting to lean towards yes, and personally I think Alvarez is gonna be better than Tucker If we do have McCann next year at $15 Million though, I don't think it makes sense to move that kind of package for another catcher....
McCann has now been on the DL three times with right knee soreness dating back to August 2017. For a 34-year-old who was long one of the league’s most durable backstops, perhaps that’s not exactly surprising. Still, whether it’s due to his apparently ongoing knee discomfort or simply due to a decline in skills, McCann is currently enduring the worst season of his Major League career. Through 173 plate appearances, he’s batting just .206/.283/.323 with five homers and three doubles. He’s the league’s second-slowest runner as well, per Statcast, topping only Albert Pujols in terms of sprint speed (22.6 feet per second). https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018...n-on-disabled-list-select-tim-federowicz.html Little question that he is declining. The question is whether he has a comeback year or two left in him.
I definitely support trading for Realmuto. Barring a miracle where we can land Treinen, he's the only move I support making at this deadline. Bullpen can be addressed in-house with all our pitching depth, plus one starter goes to the pen in the playoffs. Father Time has really caught up to McCann this year, and he's been posting pretty bad numbers. C has been a hole in the lineup for us this year. Have Hinch/Luhnow completely given up on Gattis catching? During Spring Training, they said they wanted him to catch once a week or so, and preferred we not have a DH-only player (to maximize defensive versatility). But he's only caught 2 late innings against the White Sox this year, and we were up by 9 or something that game. Rather keep both Reed and White up (or replace the latter with Ted or JD) than waste a spot on Federowicz.
The Astros aren't gonna trade Tucker, Whitley or Alvarez, and the Marlins aren't gonna bite without them. If, and its a big if, they decide to address the offense in season it will be for a much cheaper LF/1B/DH option.
McCann's option will definitely not vest. It will be a team option that will not be picked up. Barring some 2nd half or playoff resurgence, he looks like a rapidly declining veteran player who will be looking for a backup role on a contender if he doesn't retire. The good news there is that he should be affordable; I'll be surprised if he makes more than $8M next season. As for Houston's long term plan at catcher, they have several options: 1. Roll with what they have internally. This means a Stassi/Stubbs platoon. It makes sense on several levels: both guys are young, cheap, and decent defensively, and they complement each other with the bat; Stassi is righthanded and hits for power, Stubbs is lefthanded and hits for contact. Stassi is having a breakout year establishing himself in the big leagues while Stubbs is having a comeback year with a 125 wRC+ in AAA. That said, Stassi is not an established starter, and STubbs has yet to play in the majors, which means there's a heavy risk of one or both not being up to the task. That risk can always be mitigated at the deadline next year, but it's always best to be proactive and go for more sure things during the contending window. However, Stassi is currently 7th in the majors in fWAR among catchers, so there's good evidence he's ready to be the man. 2. Bring back McCann. McCann might have a rebound last gasp season in him. He knows the pitching staff and does a great job calling the games. He is a good influence on Stassi. He would probably come back for a 1 year $8M deal and accept a lesser role. allowing Stassi to get most of the work as he establishes himself as the starter. But McCann might be toast; he already can't throw guys out, and if his bat is totally gone he becomes a pretty fringy backup type. Which means they'd be leaning heavily on Stassi. 3. Make a trade. Realmuto is the main prize out there. But he's going to come with a high prospect cost. Houston could probably make a deal for him without including Whitley or Tucker, but Alvarez and several other top prospects would definitely be involved. The bad thing is the Realmuto will likely be traded this deadline, so Houston would have to make a move now. If the deal includes Stassi, then it makes more sense, but that's dependent on Miami placing a high value on Stassi. Other potential trade options are Tucker Barnhart and Francisco Cervelli, neither of which projects to be much better than Stassi. 4. Sign a free agent. The upcoming crop of free agent catchers is actually quite good. Yasmani Grandal, Kurt Suzuki, Wilson Ramos, Tyler Flowers, Nick Hundley, Devin Mesoraco, and Jonathan Lucroy are all starting quality catchers hitting the market, and only Grandal will warrant a Qualifying Offer. My preference would be trading for Realmuto, but only if it doesn't require giving up Tucker or Whitley. Next would be signing Suzuki or Ramos to pair with Stassi, assuming neither has a QO and both will sign for <$10M/yr. If that's not possible, then I'm ok rolling with Stassi and Stubbs and hoping for the best.
While I think we may just go with a Stassi+Stubbs platoon for next year, I really like trading for Realmuto. Stubbs may not be fit to be an MLB catcher, and Stassi's numbers have been falling back down to earth while McCann's numbers have fallen off a cliff. It fills the hole we have at C which will be crucial for the postseason. Also, it would keep him away from the Yankees. With Sanchez's injury I bet they go after him. I'm all for centering a package around Alvarez, with all our depth we'll be just fine. HOU Gets: C JT Realmuto RHP Kyle Barraclough LHP Adam Conley MIA Gets: OF Yordan Alvarez RHP JB Bukauskas RHP Rogelio Armenteros 1B/3B Tyler White OF Derek Fisher 2B Tony Kemp RHP Ken Giles We give them three solid prospects, plus a bunch of our AAAA guys who deserve playing time, and Giles who they can flip for more prospects (maybe to ATL?). Playoff roster: CF: Springer 3B: Bregman 2B: Altuve SS: Correa 1B: Gurriel C: Realmuto DH: Gattis RF: Reddick LF: Tucker Bench: Gonzalez, Stassi, Davis, Straw Rotation: JV, Cole, Morton, McHugh Bullpen: Devo, Rondon, Sipp, Conley, Barraclough, McCullers, Peacock, Harris
Anyone have a guess as to what kind of deal it would take to obtain Grandal? One downside of Suzuki and Ramos is that you would lose the platoon advantage by pairing them with Stassi.
McCann's option will not be exercised by the Astros. The Astros are likely going to be tight with their pitching prospects because the Astros will need them with so many free agents over the next couple of years. Therefore I don't see the Astros making a play for Realmuto at this point. Stassi is likely a good platoon candidate or a very good reserve catcher. He will likely get 200 at bats next year. I cannot see the Astros spending a lot of money on a free agent catcher, it just isn't a good allocation of resources. My guess is the Astros try to plug the LF hole in the line up. If the Astros have 8 average or better hitters in their line up, they can roll with a below average hitting catcher in the nine hole. There will be candidates to sign with the Astros for only a few million dollars. If the Astros are impressed with Stassi enough, they can always bring up Stubbs and try to work that angle. From what I have heard, a lot of the Astros spending the next few years will be on pitching, and primarily the rotation. Like Keith Law said, the Astros are going to let their young pitchers fail as starters before trying to turn them into Archie Bradley.
Ramos will be too expensive. Grandal will be a free agent and will likely demand too much as well. Tyler Flowers, Devin Mesoraco and Nick Hundley are more the Astros speed.
If it's as bad as it's seemed for a while, and as someone who has a bad knee and a worse knee, I have no idea how he was catching at all. There's only so many cortisone shots and arthroscopes you can have.
Why was Stubbs not called up? If we feel like he is a potential catcher of the future, he is 25 years old and in the middle of a good season. If this were a 10 day type of deal I'd get it, but with it being upwards of 6 weeks, seems like a good time to bring him up
I have no idea what their thoughts on Stubbs are. I certainly wouldn't have minded seeing him. Either one will have to be added to the 40-man.
I'm thinking big market teams are going to splurge on the stars. If the Dodgers don't re-sign Grandal, I don't expect him to get what he wants. Even if Dodgers re-sign him, he still may not be too happy.
Difference is one can be cut from 40-man in 4-6 weeks without being picked up and the other one would be picked up.
