Cleveland Indians: Should They Consider Brian McCann?

With the struggles behind the plate, could the Cleveland Indians turn to Yankees’ catcher Brian McCann?

It’s no secret that the Cleveland Indians have had issues behind the plate this season. A position that looked like one of the bigger strengths heading into the season has turned into the biggest black hole on the roster. The struggles of the Tribe catchers led the club to trade for All-Star Jonathan Lucroy at the trade deadline. Lucroy looked like the perfect fit to upgrade a catching core that saw starter Yan Gomes hit just .165 before hitting the disabled list.

Unfortunately for the Indians, that deal fell apart after Lucroy exercised his no-trade, and he was soon traded to the Texas Rangers leaving the Indians to wonder what to do at catcher. One name that could be an option is Yankees’ catcher Brian McCann.

Is Brian McCann Even Available?

McCann has recently cleared waivers and is able to be traded to any team, should the New York Yankees choose to go that route. There were some rumors at the deadline that the Atlanta Braves engaged the Yankees in talks about a McCann trade. There’s also some guy named Gary Sanchez who has taken the league by storm recently and cut into McCann’s time behind the plate. Sanchez has hit 11 home runs in less than a month and has looked very good behind the plate. He’s clearly the future for the Yankees at the position leaving McCann in an odd spot with the club.

McCann is signed for two more years beyond 2016 and has over $30 million still owed to him. That’s a lot for a backup catcher, even for the Yankees. McCann does have some experience at first base and designated hitter, so the club could still fit him in every day with Alex Rodriguez gone and Mark Teixeira gone following this season. The Yankees do have some young guys they’ll likely want to mix in there though too, including Greg Bird who’s missed this season due to injury but is expected back in 2017.

One issue with getting McCann is the fact that the Yankees are only 3.5 games out of the Wild Card spot. They could decide that with the play they are getting from young guys like Sanchez, that they should hold on to their remaining veterans and make a run for the playoffs. On the flip-side though, despite being just 3.5 games out, there are four teams between them and the Baltimore Orioles who currently hold the second Wild Card spot.

New York would have to jump over several teams which is hard to do with five weeks to go in the season. The  Yankees have also already sold many pieces, including Andrew Miller who’s now with the Indians. They’ve already committed to a youth movement so going back on that for an outside shot at a one-game Wild Card playoff may not be the smartest move.

Can the Indians Afford McCann?

Another potential issue is whether or not the Indians can afford McCann. As said, he’s still owed over $30 million over the next two-plus years. That’s a lot for a club like the Indians. Perhaps the Yankees would be willing to eat some of that money but McCann, despite his age is still playing well so they may not be inclined to help out teams as much as one would want. Even if the Tribe and Yankees come to some kind of financial agreement, there’s still the question of players that would need to go in order to acquire McCann.

Despite not having his typical 2-3 win season, McCann has hit league average this year (100 wRC) to go along with 16 home runs. Fangraphs only has him at 1.1 WAR this season, which isn’t great, but does put him a full win ahead of Roberto Perez (who is the only Indians’ catcher with a positive WAR this season). McCann isn’t just an offensive player either as he gets high marks for his defense, especially his pitch framing and blocking skills, both of which Baseball Prospectus likes.

Due to this, the  Yankees are likely to ask for some decent (though maybe not “great” prospects) in return. The Indians, despite their move for Andrew Miller and Brandon Guyer, do still have plenty of prospects in their deep system. They could turn to the Lucroy trade and possibly include a couple of guys from that failed trade as well, particularly Yu-Cheng Chang, who the Yankees reportedly inquired on in July. I wouldn’t expect the Indians to have to include a top-five prospect like Francisco Mejia, but Chang plus some lesser prospects could be enticing enough to the Yankees to get something done.

Will a Trade Ultimately Happen?

While McCann isn’t on the level of Lucroy, he’s a clear upgrade for the Indians that doesn’t cost them much defensively. For a team struggling on offense as of late, he’s the type of veteran bat you’d like to add for a playoff run as you just don’t know what to expect from Gomes when/if he returns. The problem as with any trade will be logistics but if the Tribe is motivated enough they could probably get a deal done.

The biggest issue may be what to do with McCann in 2017 and 2018 if a trade happened. Gomes figures to be right back behind the plate in 2017 and Perez is still a good backup. Do the Indians move one of them or send a guy like Perez to the minors? Perhaps, though another option for McCann could be to split time at first base/designated hitter along with Carlos Santana. There’s no guarantee that Mike Napoli will be back and the Tribe could use a veteran bat to help if he leaves. McCann could still catch half the time and give them a fallback option should Gomes continue to struggle.

Next: Three Takeaways From The Tribe's 1-0 Win Over Minnesota

Ultimately I think If it wasn’t for the money, the Indians would be linked more to Brian McCann. His ability to still catch and catch well, combined with his solid bat seem to make him an ideal fit with the Indians. However, that money is hard to get over as is his age (he’s already 32). That said, the Indians have already surprised the masses with their huge Andrew Miller trade. While it seems far-fetched, I would not completely rule out McCann as an option for the Indians in the next couple days.