Just now, southsider2k5 said:

$2.5 million is expensive?

Or have one stinking ounce of upside.  McCann has 1700 plate appearances.  

1 minute ago, ChiSox59 said:

At $2.5M? Why not just give a couple dudes minor league deals to Duke it out for the back up role if we’re talking about just a month or two stopgap. 

McCann is the backup next season. 

Even if Zavala gets called up halfway through, we’re looking at least 25 to 30 starts from McCann and that’s assuming Castillo stays healthy.  God forbid he goes down.

6 minutes ago, Colinski said:

I can’t see anyone taking Castillo, as much as I love your idea.

Could totally see it from one of the teams in on Realmuto that miss out

2 minutes ago, GenericUserName said:

That's an expensive spaceholder. 

$2.5 mil LOL

This signing is just not good. 

Sorry, I am not willing to freak out about a $2.5 million deal.  It isn't 1980 anymore, this is what bench players cost.

Just now, fathom said:

Could totally see it from one of the teams in on Realmuto that miss out

I could see the Rockies taking him off our hands.  His salary is pretty manageable and the option would be attractive.

Just now, Chicago White Sox said:

I could see the Rockies taking him off our hands.  His salary is pretty manageable and the option would be attractive.

And wouldn’t all that EPO help his breathing at that altitude?

3 minutes ago, GenericUserName said:

2% of our projected payroll for a guy who will only be on the team a few months? You could definitely have gotten someone for less. 

2%? You must expect the Sox to spend a lot of money this offseason! We could sign Harper and Machado and still be under $125M payroll. 

Meh. They needed another Catcher but not sure why they wen't with McCann. Maybe Grandal doesn't want to come here? I don't know... but McCann's lack of great defense makes him a questionable signing. 

Can't say I'm happy by this, but at the same time, it's such a small move that it won't define anything.. as of yet.

To me this signing is one of two things:

1) Overpaying for someone to hold a spot until Seby is ready because we could probably get the same for close to league minimum

2) The front office actually think McCann is a decent backup which almost no one agrees with. 

He is good defensively and put up a 1.6 fWAR in 2017 playing 106 games. He controls the running game, and he's a good framer. It's a decent buy low gamble. If he doesn't hit, he still makes a pretty good back up catcher for his work behind the plate. He's also arb eligible another season, so if he breaks out, they have some control. Grandal would have been nice, but you are looking at having him play an over 30 season for shits and giggles before you are hoping to compete. Who knows what happens then? He may still be great like Carlton Fisk, he may fall apart like Brian McCann, Jonathan Lucroy, and a few others. 

Just now, GenericUserName said:

To me this signing is one of two things:

1) Overpaying for someone to hold a spot until Seby is ready because we could probably get the same for close to league minimum

2) The front office actually think McCann is a decent backup which almost no one agrees with. 

McCann used entirely against LHP might be worth it, but that’s not happening with Castillo being his platoon mate.

Just now, Dick Allen said:

He is good defensively and put up a 1.6 fWAR in 2017 playing 106 games. He controls the running game, and he's a good framer. It's a decent buy low gamble. If he doesn't hit, he still makes a pretty good back up catcher for his work behind the plate. He's also arb eligible another season, so if he breaks out, they have some control. Grandal would have been nice, but you are looking at having him play an over 30 season for shits and giggles before you are hoping to compete. Who knows what happens then? He may still be great like Carlton Fisk, he may fall apart like Brian McCann, Jonathan Lucroy, and a few others. 

Where did you catch this?  I googled for framing stats and found him substantially below average and basically as bad as Castillo, but I'll admit I didn't check every web page that compiles such things. 

4 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Sorry, I am not willing to freak out about a $2.5 million deal.  It isn't 1980 anymore, this is what bench players cost.

He just got non-tendered by the team that knows him best, has only 1 catcher on their 40 man, and no great internal options, because McCann was expected to get a little over $3M in arb.

I agree that $2.5M isn't alot of money, but its just a bad choice.  

1 minute ago, Dick Allen said:

He is good defensively and put up a 1.6 fWAR in 2017 playing 106 games. He controls the running game, and he's a good framer. It's a decent buy low gamble. If he doesn't hit, he still makes a pretty good back up catcher for his work behind the plate. He's also arb eligible another season, so if he breaks out, they have some control. Grandal would have been nice, but you are looking at having him play an over 30 season for shits and giggles before you are hoping to compete. Who knows what happens then? He may still be great like Carlton Fisk, he may fall apart like Brian McCann, Jonathan Lucroy, and a few others. 

What makes you think he’s a good framer?  His WARP has been negative two straight years and is at 0.1 for his career.  He is a poor framer.

18 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

I gotta go the other way. We added $10 million in payroll, made the bullpen better, but made the catcher's spot substantially worse, and we traded away a possibly useful asset. With $10 million in payroll, we could have made the bullpen better without subtracting from the catcher's spot and losing a potential trade asset.

The only explanations I can come up with are:

1.  Hahn overestimated what free agent relievers were going to get (he thinks/thought Colome is a bargain at his arb #)

or

2.  The organization really didn't like Narvaez and preferred paying McCann double to having Omar with control remaining.

 

 

 

I just don't know why they couldn't have kept Kevan Smith if they don't care about C defense, because signing McCann clearly indicates they do not care about C defense.

He was -1 in DRS last year and -6 the previous year 

You would think they would have just kept Smith over McCann.

The team was 62-100, and people are upset about a back up catcher.

This thread is as SoxTalk as it gets. Everyone freaking out about a backup catcher who is nothing but a one year placeholder. Chill.  

Just now, Dick Allen said:

The team was 62-100, and people are upset about a back up catcher.

It’s going to be the meltdown of all meltdowns if they miss on the big 2

5 minutes ago, Dick Allen said:

He is good okay defensively and put up a 1.6 fWAR in 2017 playing 106 games, but also was half a win below replacement level in 2018. He controls the running game, and but he's a good poor framer. 

FIFY

Just now, Dick Allen said:

The team was 62-100, and people are upset about a back up catcher.

So because your take was brutal (talking about McCann's upside and defensive prowess) now it doesn't matter because he is just a backup catcher?