It has been reported that New York Yankees catcher Brian McCann has cleared waivers, making him eligible for trade for the remainder of August if any interest is drawn his way.
sources: McCann clears waivers, making him eligible for yankees to trade him this month https://t.co/BJ4mIoQGHP
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 7, 2016
McCann going unclaimed on waivers isn’t a surprise to anyone. He is owed the remainder of his $17 million salary for 2016, $34 million through the end of 2018 with a $15 million vesting option for 2019 so long as he can avoid the disabled list and play at least 90 games behind the plate. He also has a full no-trade clause in his contract, so he would have the right to veto any trade.
Prior to the August 1 trade deadline, there were two main teams who showed interest in McCann were the Texas Rangers and his former team, the Atlanta Braves.
The Rangers were able to acquire catcher Jonathan Lucroy in a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers at the deadline, so there is no reason for them to make a deal. As far as the Braves go, the move makes sense. McCann is a great clubhouse guy and can take on the leader/mentor role with Atlanta’s young roster which is just what they are looking for.
The two teams have talked, but the Braves wanted the Yankees to eat a considerable amount of McCann’s remaining contact; something the Yankees were not willing to do previously. It’s also unclear if the Braves would even be willing to part with what the Yankees would want in return.
So far this season, the 32-year-old is .233/.330/.417 with 15 home-runs and 44 RBI in 345 plate appearances.
