Let us commence exchanging opinions and perspective on James McCann

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Some guy on the internet says we're in serious talks on a four year deal? Joel Sherman says it's a possibility

[smg58]

His powers number shot up last year, so I guess a lot depends on whether or not you think that's real. He also appears to be a plus defender. The presence of Francisco Alvarez in our farm system, plus the likelihood that Realmuto would require five or six years, could make McCann a good value play. As long as the money they save gets spent elsewhere, that is.

[bmfc1]

He's not Realmuto but he's the next best C.



https://www.fangraphs.com/players/james-mccann/12859/stats?position=Chttps://www.fangraphs.com/players/james-mccann/12859/stats?position=C

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_McCann_%28baseball%29https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_McCann_(baseball)

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[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I almost feel better about this dude than Realmuto, only because I associate catchers who can hit with injuries and subpar defense. Plus there's not a whole lot of unrealized upside to JTR.



Otoh, this dude may or may not hit and 4 years is like 2 more than I'd be comfy with

[ashie62]

McCann is very good, and under the radar. If not for Yasmani Grandal blocking him McCann hits 20-25 homers.

[Frayed Knot]

Except that at least part of McCann's hitting is due to being platooned (much better vs LHPs: OPS+ 135 vs 89) and not having to shoulder the mantle of being an everyday catcher.

iow, we shouldn't expect an automatic doubling of his stats simply by making him the lead backstop.



That said, I think he's a worthwhile target to pursue even as I admit that virtually all of my knowledge on him is based on recent stuff I've read rather than any first hand knowledge.

[Edgy MD]

I know about him. It's not Christmas until McCann shoots Hans Gruber and he falls crashing into the street of the Nakatomi Plaza.



Or something.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I wish we'd stop talking about money. Wanna know what I want? Realmuto. Because he's the best catcher out there. The day Steve Cohen asks me to chip in for Realmuto is the day I'll worry about money. The days of the Mets getting the 2007 version of Mike Piazza and then conning everybody into believing he's going to play eight years younger are over.



Steve Cohen is about the richest guy in the whole wide world and wants to win a World Series in the next three to five years. Draw your own conclusions.

[Centerfield]

If his uptick in pitch framing is real then I'm on board. He's a pretty drastic drop off from Realmuto, but if this means Springer, another quality starter and Brad Hand, then it's worth it.



I know that Cohen's resources are nearly limitless, but I think he will show restraint in his first offseason.

[Centerfield]

Frayed Knot wrote: Except that at least part of McCann's hitting is due to being platooned (much better vs LHPs: OPS+ 135 vs 89) and not having to shoulder the mantle of being an everyday catcher. iow, we shouldn't expect an automatic doubling of his stats simply by making him the lead backstop. That said, I think he's a worthwhile target to pursue even as I admit that virtually all of my knowledge on him is based on recent stuff I've read rather than any first hand knowledge.

Exactly right. And there are a lot more RH pitchers than lefties. It's reasonable to think his offense will drop from what he's shown the last two seasons.

[batmagadanleadoff]

=Centerfield post_id=51662 time=1607089172 user_id=65]
If his uptick in pitch framing is real then I'm on board. He's a pretty drastic drop off from Realmuto, but if this means Springer, another quality starter and Brad Hand, then it's worth it.



I know that Cohen's resources are nearly limitless, but I think he will show restraint in his first offseason.

[batmagadanleadoff]

These posts are off the wall. Cohen's one of the 30 or 40 richest guys in the world and youse are writing posts trying to justify how youse'd prefer the 8th best pitcher available iinstead of the best.



What a job Fred Wilpon did on youse. It's like battered fan syndrome.

[Centerfield]

Of course I'd prefer signing all of the best players available. But I don't think that's what he will do. And if he is going to limit his spending, I'd like him to use his resources on Springer and pitching.



I've never asked that my owner sign all the best players, or have the highest payroll in baseball. I've only ever asked that the Mets owner fund a payroll commensurate with market size. Basically, live in the top 3-5 teams or so. Play in the same neighborhood as the Dodgers, Red Sox and Yankees. I don't think that makes me a Wilpon apologist. But as Ralph says, your mileage may vary.



And I get that Steve Cohen is richer than all the other rich guys. That doesn't mean he has to spend all those riches on baseball. If he does, great. But I don't think he will and I don't think he has to.

[Edgy MD]

In my alternative reality, Brian Schneider has spent the offseason living in a bubble with J.D. Davis and teaching him how to catch.



In this reality, here's James McCann catching the final out of Lucas Giolito's no-hitter, and before heading to the mound to congratulate his pitcher, taking the time to give C.B. Bucknor props for calling the game.



https://twitter.com/Jomboy_/status/1298449905514577920https://twitter.com/Jomboy_/status/1298449905514577920

[metsmarathon]

how do realmuto and mccann compare as gamecallers and/or pitchframers? is there a potential advantage there that mccann might have that isn't as well captured in the usual WAR metrics?

[MFS62]

=Centerfield post_id=51662 time=1607089172 user_id=65]
If his uptick in pitch framing is real then I'm on board. He's a pretty drastic drop off from Realmuto, but if this means Springer, another quality starter and Brad Hand, then it's worth it.

[Edgy MD]

=metsmarathon post_id=51672 time=1607110637 user_id=83]
how do realmuto and mccann compare as gamecallers and/or pitchframers? is there a potential advantage there that mccann might have that isn't as well captured in the usual WAR metrics?

[Frayed Knot]

The fact that McCann would arrive on our doorsteps with a stamp of approval right there on the package from none other than https://nypost.com/2020/11/30/mets-tendering-steve-matz-would-be-the-right-move/SUPER JOE McEWING means ... I dunno, maybe something, maybe not.



Super Joe has been a ChiSox coach for the past couple seasons. “[McCann is] the ultimate pro, on and off the field,'' McEwing said by phone on Friday. “He's a leader and runs the pitching staff like a second manager.”

“The way he communicates with the [pitching] staff and teammates, you won't have to worry about anything, ... He wants that responsibility.” ... “He's a bridge to analytics, ...Being able to combine the

information with the human element, he knows how to get the best out of each individual. And when they don't have something, he adjusts.”

Edited December 5, 2020 by Guest

[Lefty Specialist]

This isn't rotisserie baseball. You're not going to get Springer and Realmuto and Bauer and every other free agent.



Even though Cohen technically has unlimited money to spend, he's also got a few owners who are wary of a New York owner spending unlimited money. Steve himself said that he would not be spending like an inebriated mariner, and he wants to be a member in good standing of the boys club. So while we want everything we're not going to get everything.



I'm not crazy about any catcher on a super-long deal. Even Mike Piazza broke down toward the end and he might be the greatest hitting catcher ever. I'm OK with McCann on a shorter deal. He's not Realmuto, but he's not Tomas Nido either.

[Frayed Knot]

And without even getting into a money thing or how Cohen might think he's supposed to act as the new kid on the block, we're not going to get every FA we want because there are 29 other teams out there and many of them want the same guys we want for the same reasons.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I don't expect Cohen's Mets to get every single top free agent out there. I get that there are 29 other teams, that some free agents simply won't want to play here and that Cohen might pull some punches so as not to show up the other owners. Also, the Mets might choose not to pursue some of the best free agents for reasons we'll never truly get to know. And while there's a powerfully positive correlation between a team's payroll and games won, that correlation diminshes and ceases to exist at a certain point. I don't know at what point that occurs and am fairly certain that no team has ever reached that point yet but if the goal is to win a World Series, an owner can't simply buy one because a significant chunk of baseball success is pure and dumb luck which cannot be purchased. You think the Mets are one of the 10 worst MLB teams? They're not even close. The Mets have several terrific pieces. They just had some terrible luck in 2020.



My beef with this and the similar threads is posters preferring the sixth best player over the best. Tortured and contrived arguments for why McAnn would be better than Realmuto even though there couldn't be a better case for best of breed. Realmuto's the best hitting catcher, the best defensive catcher and the best pitch-framing catcher. So go ahead and wish for McAnn. That makes a lot of sense to me. And by a lot, I mean none. Jeez, I wanted the Mets to sign Reggie in '77, even though I knew that wasn't gonna happen. I wanted Barry Bonds 15 years later. I wanted Jason Giambi instead of Mo Vaughn even though I knew GIambi would never be had once the Yankees set their targets on Giambi.

[Fman99]

This is the second best FA catcher? A guy with a career OPS under .700 and inconsistent power numbers? I'm unimpressed.

[Centerfield]

If you know that the Mets can't sign every free agent out there, then it makes sense for a fan to root for the ones they prefer. My order of preference for the top three free agents are:



1. Springer

2. Bauer

3. Realmuto



Knowing it's unlikely we get all three, McCann is a nice fallback for missing out on Realmuto, who is rumored to not want to come here anyway.



If we get Springer, Hand, and the best SP option (let the analytics guys figure out who this is), and McCann, I'm good.



If we end up with McCann, Jackie Bradley Jr, and Cole Hamels, I'm not.

[batmagadanleadoff]

=Centerfield post_id=51722 time=1607257664 user_id=65]
If you know that the Mets can't sign every free agent out there, then it makes sense for a fan to root for the ones they prefer. My order of preference for the top three free agents are:

[Centerfield]

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=51781 time=1607351778 user_id=68]
Those pathetic, embarrassing days appear to be over.

[LWFS]

This is the second best FA catcher? A guy with a career OPS under .700 and inconsistent power numbers? I'm unimpressed.

Everybody saying that he's the second-best catcher available neglects to note that it ain't a win-place-show point-getting race. I mean, Ramos was the consensus "second-best" last time around. We don't get points for "meaningful signings;" we get runs created and prevented by whomever is in the lineup.



Realmuto is, even after a career "year" from McCann, considered by those who know-- and idiots like me who cite cherry- picked stats like gospel--- to be head and shoulders above McCann, a pretty-okay platoon catcher before last year (unless you guys see something different in his plate approach, a la Murphy in 2015-16).



McCann seems like someone you settle for, not someone you approach. If he's asking for four years-- keeping in mind that he's just about a year older than Realmuto-- that seems a TOUGH swallow. I'm not sure the who-else-we-can-afford fangames make it easier to swallow.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Tracky says things are "serious"



https://twitter.com/martinonyc/status/1336724763641835526https://twitter.com/martinonyc/status/1336724763641835526

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Buster busts in in a message that reads to me like he thinks Tracky is misinterpreting things or being led astray



https://twitter.com/Buster_ESPN/status/1336732492422909958https://twitter.com/Buster_ESPN/status/1336732492422909958

[Edgy MD]

Experience tells me that three years and an option is probably the length, and they're haggling over vesting clauses for the option year.

[G-Fafif]

Martino now. Making it sound as if Realmuto is a potential option if McCann falls through, as opposed to the other way around, which seems more intuitive.



https://twitter.com/martinonyc/status/1336783094603517953?s=21https://twitter.com/martinonyc/status/1336783094603517953?s=21