White Sox: Three reasons to trade James McCann this winter
The Chicago White Sox are a team that gets deeper and deeper every day and that might make their all-star catcher James McCann expendable.
The Chicago White Sox saw James McCann have an outstanding season in 2019. They added him over the 2018-19 winter and he turned out to be one of the best stories in the entire league. He was so good for the White Sox as their catcher that he earned a nod as an American League All-Star. He was one of three team representatives in the summer classic and it was good to see multiple players represent this team on the big stage.
The 29-year-old had a WAR of 3.8 in 2019 which is very good for a catcher. He had a slash line of .273/ .328/.460 which is something that everybody in the league would love to see from their catcher. He hit 18 home runs and had 60 RBIs on 120 hits for the White Sox in 2019. McCann had the best year of his career by far and the numbers show it.
He was in a lineup with players like Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez, Tim Anderson, and Jose Abreu who all had fantastic years yet he was one of only three Sox players who got an all-star nod. He sure took advantage of playing for a team with lots of talent around him and it was so much fun to watch. One thing that was also apparent was his ability to be clutch. He came up with big hits in big moments and some of the most memorable plays of the 2019 season.
The White Sox have a lot of different options with the catcher position going into 2020 so there might be a couple of reasons to think about trading him if Rick Hahn was given a solid offer. McCann is a fantastic player but there are three specific reasons to move him over the 2019-20 winter offseason:
1. Value
James McCann was better in 2019 than he had ever been in his career. He was very good and deserves respect but there are plenty of reasons to believe that he may regress in 2020. That is not to say that he will be bad but to think he will be an All-Star catcher again next year is a little far fetched. His value may never be higher on the trade market so trading him right now might net the White Sox the most return. If they were to wait on him and he regresses in 2020 then they might see that as a missed opportunity to move him while his value was sky-high.
McCann is a good hitter and a good defensive catcher but you can’t expect him to be elite again. His .273 batting average in 2019 was his career-high and the next closest was when he hit .264 with the Detroit Tigers in 2015. He was also 25 years old in 2015 so going into his age 30 season you can’t expect him to get any better. He also tied a career-high in games played with 118. His batting average in 2019 wasn’t his only career-high either. His 18 home runs, 60 RBIs, 120 hits, and 62 runs scored were all also career-highs for him.
This is not to say that McCann can’t be good for the White Sox or anybody else in 2020 because he surely can. He could even prove everyone wrong and repeat what he did in 2019. The only thing is that his trade value might never be higher in the future than it is right now and a team might be willing to overpay the Sox as a result.
2. Yasmani Grandal
The Chicago White Sox made the first big free-agent splash of the winter. They got everyone talking about them when the signed Yasmani Grandal to a four year deal on Thursday morning. This is a great move for the White Sox as they are bringing one of the best catchers in the league to the South Side of Chicago. They needed a big boost like this added to their mix. You already know about the nice core they have built and now Grandal will be a part of it for four years.
This move could lead to the White Sox having he and McCann form one of if not the best catcher duo in the league. That could also allow them to trade McCann as Grandal takes over. Grandal is also a dangerous hitter at the plate as he hit .246 in 2019 and had 28 home runs, 77 RBIs, 79 runs scored and had a 2.5 WAR. These are all numbers that if repeated would really help the White Sox win some more games in 2020.
Grandal and McCann might be better as a duo so the other isn’t overloaded with work but his addition definitely makes McCann expendable if that is the route that Rick Hahn decides to go. Grandal is here to stay and with McCann’s value as a catcher being as high as it may ever be it might be a smart move to trade him.
Backups
Yasmani Grandal is going to get a bulk of the catching assignments in 2020. He is the guy who will start all of the big games behind the plate for Chicago but that doesn’t mean that he can play in every single game. Catchers need rest so if they were to trade McCann, one of the two backup options would need to step up.
The first option is young Zack Collins. He made his Major League debut for the White Sox in 2019. The White Sox have had high expectations for him since he came into the organization. He had three home runs, 12 RBIs and 16 hits in 86 at-bats during his 2019 rookie year. Obviously, the .186 batting average is worrisome but he is still learning the way in the league. If they believe he can play some good backup catcher and then maybe provide some help in the designated hitter and first base spots, he could be a good option for the Sox next year.
Another player who made his MLB debut in 2019 was Seby Zavala. He isn’t necessarily a long term answer to the backup position for the White Sox but he is definitely there right now. His debut wasn’t great but it was short-lived as he only appeared in five games. He only had one hit in twelve at-bats but that is way too small of a sample size. He might get his opportunity someday but the other options are more likely.
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Obviously, trading McCann at this point is probably a long shot but these three reasons prove that there is at least a couple of reasons to consider it if a team calls with an offer that sweeps Rick Hahn off his feet. Having depth at the position is definitely nice as the team moves forward.