3 potential James McCann trade destinations

2) Why the NY Mets can trade James McCann to the Cubs

Speaking of the Cubs, if Willson Contreras isn’t coming back, they could be in the market for a catcher. Yan Gomes remains under contract as one option. They could always look to pair him with McCann for a duo behind the plate.

The Cubs have already moved on from many of their players on big league contracts. Kyle Hendricks would make sense for the Mets but not so much for Chicago. He is owed only $14 million more in 2023 and would be far more likely to have a good year than McCann given the track record of each. We’d have to eliminate that kind of swap.

A trade with the Cubs involving McCann wouldn’t be a swap of bad deals. Instead, the Mets would have to eat a portion of his salary.

In the past, the Cubs have been one of the trade destinations for Dominic Smith. Maybe both could end up in Chicago for a couple of lottery ticket prospects. No two players may have less trade value at the moment than McCann and Smith. It’s the kind of minor move a team like the Cubs should think about making. If even one of them performs better, they would probably be the victors of the transaction.

3) Why the NY Mets can trade James McCann to the Rockies

Could the Colorado Rockies use a catcher like McCann? They’ve done far stranger things like sign Kris Bryant to a huge contract and not do much else. They don’t necessarily have any bad contracts which match up well with what the Mets owe McCann. Pitcher Antonio Senzatela may not live up to his extension but it’s friendly enough to give him time.

Catcher Elias Diaz didn’t have a particularly good 2022 campaign. He probably won’t be all that much better in 2023. He could pair well enough with McCann. The Rockies could also get him for pretty cheap.

Colorado’s willingness to spend money—not always in the wisest of ways—means they could be surprisingly aggressive this offseason. They were the first time linked to Brandon Nimmo. Adding McCann, for practically free, in a trade with the Mets is a light move with a potential big payoff. Like with many trades involving him, the Mets would be required to pick up a portion of the tab.

McCann would greatly benefit from landing in a ballpark that can help his offensive numbers explode to where they were during his years with the Chicago White Sox. Mets fans haven’t seen anything close to that since he came to Flushing.

In Colorado, the atmosphere can make the Rockies feel like they won the McCann trade even if they aren’t doing much in the standings. The Mets may lose the trade but opening up the roster spot could end up becoming more important.