That's a high price to pay, but the Yankees were willing to ante up-- especially since Chris Stewart and Austin Romine were their catchers last season. McCann's numbers have remained consistent throughout his career with the Atlanta Braves. He has hit 20 home runs or more in six consecutive seasons, and seven out of the last eight seasons.
Being a left-handed hitter, he should be able to duplicate -- if not slighty improve -- those numbers at Yankee Stadium, which has a short porch in right field.
The Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels were among the other teams reportedly interested in McCann. The questions with the Yankees remain: Will they sign second baseman Robinson Cano? And can they do it without paying a king's ransom in luxury tax?
Cardinals agree to terms with Peralta
Maybe I spoke too soon Saturday when I said all those nice things about the Cardinals. Do they really think putting Jhonny Peralta at shortstop makes them better?
Apparently so, because reports say Peralta is going to sign a four-year deal with St. Louis.
The Cardinals should have gone defense first with that position. Peralta can hit, but he can't field. St. Louis has no shortage of hitting. Maybe the Cardinals know free-agent outfielder Carlos Beltran is leaving (to Detroit?), so they feel the need to replace his offense.
I'd like the signing a little better if they were planning to put Peralta at third base. But that doesn't seem to be the case.
Peralta only hits well every other year or so. When he hits near .300, he's very good. When he doesn't, he's not hitting well enough to cover his glove.
ReplyDeleteThough to be fair, his fielding numbers have been better the last three years after moving to Detroit from Cleveland. I don't know if it's because he's gotten better, they position guys better with the Tigers, or if playing next to Miguel Cabrera and whatever was left of Brandon Inge during those years, he had to move over to get to more stuff hit to the left side.
The Cardinals must feel like they have the answer to commit four years to Peralta.
I like the McCann move for the Yankees. If you're going to spend big bucks in free agency, you're best served getting the best player, preferably if that guy can fill what was previously a sucking void on your roster. McCann fits the bill on both counts. This is maybe the kind of splash the White Sox should have entertained since they, too, were awful at catcher last year.
Will McCann be overpaid by the end of this contract? Most likely he will be. That's just part of the cost of doing business on the free agent market, though.
For the Yankees, I think there is reason to believe McCann will hit for all five years of the deal. He's hit every year. Why would it be any different in New York? Good move by them. I felt like the White Sox should have gotten in the mix for McCann, but I also knew they wouldn't. Abreu might have been the "big splash" of the offseason.
ReplyDeleteMcCann is a good defensive catcher, too. So it's not like signing a Mike Napoli or Victor Martinez where you know he'll hit, but will have to move off the position. McCann is basically either one of those guys with a better glove. That's worth a superstar-level salary.
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