3 potential James McCann trade destinations

Wouldn’t it be nice if the New York Mets could trade James McCann this offseason? His contract isn’t holding them back. It’s more his presence on the roster that causes a little bit of chaos.

Steve Cohen showed by DFA’ing Robinson Cano that he is unafraid to pay players to go away. McCann is a little better to have around than Cano. At least he can play a position that isn’t always the easiest to find even a .200 hitter at.

The likelihood of finding a suitor for McCann isn’t high but with the right move the Mets can maybe send him away then move onto the next phase behind the plate: Francisco Alvarez time!

1) Why the NY Mets can trade James McCann to the Cardinals

Probably the most logical destination for McCann to head is the St. Louis Cardinals. It’s not so much because the Cardinals would want him so badly. They just happen to have one of the better matches in a swap of bad salaries.

As written previously, McCann for Steven Matz makes a lot of sense for both teams. Especially with Adam Wainwright now returning for another year to pitch in St. Louis, the Cardinals may already have buyer’s remorse.

Matz to the Mets isn’t perfect nor is McCann to the Cardinals. Each is somewhat of a rebound candidate to some extent. In New York, Matz could be the long man out of the bullpen and some starting pitching depth similar to the way they used Trevor Williams in 2022. It’s a bit of a downgrade but if it means clearing McCann, it is something to think about.

The Cardinals have an opening at the catcher spot thanks to Yadier Molina’s retirement. Unless they’re looking to stick it to the Chicago Cubs and sign Willson Contreras, they will have a hard time finding anyone other than the usual journeymen part-time players in free agency. At least McCann has been pretty good in the recent past. It just hasn’t happened since joining the Mets.