Talks between Mets and catcher James McCann are gaining steam

The Mets are now in “serious talks” with free agent catcher James McCann, according to Andy Martino. Martino first reported conversations between McCann and the Mets last week, and now reports that “the Mets’ pursuit is aggressive.”

After an unremarkable start to his career in Detroit, McCann blossomed with the White Sox in 2019, notching his first All-Star appearance and a 2.3 fWAR in 118 games. Splitting the catching duties with Yasmani Grandal in 2020, McCann improved offensively, putting up a 144 wRC+, which was good for fourth among all catchers with at least 100 plate appearances.

With the Mets declining their 2021 team option on Wilson Ramos, their most glaring positional need appeared behind the plate. Much conversation early on in the off-season focused on J.T. Realmuto, who is not only the most coveted free agent catcher, but also arguably the best free agent on the market. McCann’s stock has shot up precipitously since the end of the season, however, partly due to his improved performance, and mostly due to a lack of quality free agent catchers behind him.