5:03PM: The Orioles have curiosity in Elias Diaz, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko reviews. An All-Star in 2023 attributable to a scorching begin to the season, Diaz has been a below-average offensive performer for many of his 10 MLB seasons, however his defensive metrics have been typically strong. Diaz hit .265/.313/.382 over 351 plate appearances with the Rockies and Padres final season, as Diaz landed with San Diego in August after being launched by Colorado.
1:34PM: A lot of the dialog surrounding the Orioles up to now within the offseason has centered on recently-departed free brokers Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander and the membership’s efforts to both reunite with or substitute these top-of-the-market gamers. In an look on MLB Community Radio earlier immediately, membership GM Mike Elias acknowledged that the membership would “love” to deliver each Burnes and Santander again, and that they’re prioritizing additions to the highest of the rotation and the outfield to make up for that misplaced manufacturing. Whereas these plans have already been reported on extensively, Elias additionally famous one different departing free agent who the membership would both prefer to reunite with or substitute this winter: veteran catcher James McCann.
McCann, 34, spent the previous two seasons in Baltimore after being traded to the Orioles by the Mets previous to the 2023 season. He settled comfortably into the backup catcher position together with his new membership, serving because the second half of a tandem alongside younger star Adley Rutschman. Throughout his time in Baltimore, Statcast McCann rated as a below-average defensive catcher total, with common marks (0 CS Above Common) for throwing out runners however lackluster marks by way of blocking (-12 Blocks Above Common) and pitch framing (-5 Framing Runs). In the meantime, McCann has been a under common hitter total with the bat, however that also made him a roughly common offensive backup catcher total as he hit .228/.274/.382 (83 wRC+) in 459 whole journeys to the plate over the previous two years, together with an 89 wRC+ in 2024.
Whereas that manufacturing shouldn’t be particularly troublesome to exchange for the Orioles, it’s nonetheless price noting that the membership plans to pursue an exterior addition on the place. With Rutschman locked in because the membership’s beginning catcher for the foreseeable future and prime prospect Samuel Basallo already on the Triple-A degree, it wouldn’t have been particularly stunning if the membership determined to go together with some mixture of Blake Hunt and Rene Pinto to again up Rutschman till Basallo is able to debut. Given Elias’s feedback, nevertheless, it appears the membership will a minimum of discover including one other veteran catcher to the combo to pair with Rutschman.
Whether or not that veteran catcher will wind up being McCann or not is unclear. Wealthy Dubroff of Baltimore Baseball steered earlier immediately that McCann could also be trying to find a multi-year deal in free company this winter given the skinny marketplace for catchers, and went on to notice {that a} deal of that magnitude might make the Orioles “uncomfortable.” Given the presence of Basallo, it will be comprehensible if the membership most well-liked to restrict any dedication to a veteran catcher to only one assured yr. If McCann proves to be out of the membership’s consolation zone or they merely choose to go in a unique route, there’s numerous different choices who might be obtainable on a one-year pact this winter equivalent to Gary Sanchez, Elias Diaz, and Reese McGuire.
