Within the next two weeks, free agent catcher Brian McCann will begin traveling and visiting with teams who have shown a strong interest in signing him, reports Buster Olney of ESPN.
Brian McCann free agency: Catcher will visit teams within 2 weeks
McCann has received interest from a number of teams this offseason as the top catcher on the market.
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As the top catching option on the free agent market, McCann has received interest from numerous teams, including the Rangers, Red Sox, Yankees, White Sox and Rockies. Boston, Texas and New York have been the three most heavily mentioned names. Both the Red Sox and Rangers are losing their 2013 starting catcher to free agency, while the Yankees are looking for an improvement to their situation last year.
Fellow catcher Carlos Ruiz agreed to a three year contract valued at $26 million to remain with the Phillies on Monday. Ruiz had been a popular second choice among teams needing a backstop, making McCann all the more valuable. He and Jarrod Saltalamacchia are clearly the two best available right now, with McCann the more desirable of the two thanks to both a strong bat and good defensive skills.
McCann, 29, has been a Brave his entire career, but the team does not appear willing to pay the type of salary he will command. Analysts have projected him to receive anywhere between $75-100 million in free agency. He hit .256/.336/.461 over 102 games in 2013 and has topped 20 home runs in seven of his eight full seasons.
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