{"id":42410,"date":"2025-03-19T06:30:16","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T06:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42410"},"modified":"2025-03-19T06:30:16","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T06:30:16","slug":"mlb-update-james-mccann-signing-will-help-braves-avoid-obvious-pitfalls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42410","title":{"rendered":"MLB UPDATE: James McCann signing will help Braves avoid obvious pitfalls"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"article-intro mb-4 text-darkGrey font-group-large md:font-group-normal lg:font-group-large\">Drake Baldwin is the future, but some insurance never hurt.<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex items-center justify-between text-darkGrey font-group-bigger\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_4289,h_2412\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/GettyImages\/mmsport\/229\/01jpnkvqs1wyec08zrat.jpg\" alt=\"Baltimore Orioles v New York Yankees\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"inline-text-0\">After Sean Murphy\u2019s rib injury sidelined the catcher for 4-6 weeks, the Atlanta Braves made it clear that Drake Baldwin would be the primary replacement behind the plate.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\">Baldwin, the Braves\u2019 top prospect, has hit .333 with an .844 OPS this spring training. Atlanta wants to see what the soon-to-be 24-year-old is made of, and there\u2019s no better time for him to show that with an early-season showcase. The early reviews from Braves players and officials has been nothing but positive.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\">But Baldwin is inexperienced, and having any sort of insurance behind him with Murphy sidelined is important. So the Braves have signed free-agent catcher James McCann to a Minor-League contract, sources tell FanSided.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"inline-text-4\">James McCann gives Braves some much-needed Sean Murphy insurance<\/h2>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\">The pairing makes perfect sense for McCann and Atlanta. For McCann, it\u2019s an opportunity for early playing time at the Major-League level. When Murphy returns, McCann will likely be designated for assignment, and if he performs well he could parlay that into an opportunity with another team.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\">But for the Braves, it\u2019s veteran insurance in case Baldwin isn\u2019t ready. Atlanta has seen top prospects struggle (notably Vaughn Grissom). Other top prospects around the league, most notably Jackson Holliday, showed they weren\u2019t ready for the Majors once they debuted. It\u2019s cheap insurance for Atlanta that comes with virtually no risk and ensures that the team won\u2019t be put in a precarious position early in the regular season.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\">As for McCann, he shouldn\u2019t be expected to provide elite numbers at the plate. In Baltimore last season, he hit .234\/.279\/.388 with eight home runs and 31 RBI. But the 34-year-old knows how to work a pitching staff and is lauded for his leadership on the field and in the clubhouse.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\">So McCann\u2019s addition shouldn\u2019t be viewed as the Braves losing faith in Baldwin. Instead, it\u2019s valuable insurance, and a marriage that should be short-term until Murphy returns.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After Sean Murphy\u2019s rib injury sidelined the catcher for 4-6 weeks, the Atlanta Braves made it clear that Drake Baldwin would be the primary replacement behind<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":42411,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>MLB UPDATE: James McCann signing will help Braves avoid obvious pitfalls - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42410\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MLB UPDATE: James McCann signing will help Braves avoid obvious pitfalls - 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