Baseball’s busiest team of the offseason isn’t ready to slow down just yet. The Mets completed a trade late Wednesday night that sends veteran catcher James McCann and cash to the Orioles for a player to be named.
McCann, 32, has two years and $24 million left on his contract, and the Orioles will assume $5 million of that total, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. Despite that, the Mets will save $8 million as a result of the trade because of tax implications and recalculations pertaining to the Competitive Balance Tax.
The player the Mets will receive is not expected to be a notable prospect, according to the source.
McCann signed with the Mets two winters ago but hasn’t performed to expectations, slashing .220/.282/.328 with 13 homers in 182 games with New York since 2021. The Orioles’ starting catcher entering next season is 24-year-old Adley Rutschman, who placed second in AL Rookie of the Year balloting and 12th in AL MVP voting in ’22.