The San Diego Padres and James McCann make sense as the team searches for catching help.

According to Robert Murray, the San Diego Padres are speaking to James McCann in an attempt to sign a catcher.

McCann is arguably the best catching option available on the open market, so it makes sense.

According to Murray, the Padres have yet to meet the demands of McCann, who made $12.1 million last season. The Padres will not pay anything close to that for the 34-year-old catcher, as his numbers have been on a decline. The two sides are at a stalemate.

Once referred to as a plus defensive catcher, McCann has struggled with defensive analytics over the past few seasons. The ability is there for him to regain his presence behind the dish, but he will need to work on it. The past two seasons with the Orioles were not pretty.

His offensive game also suffered in Baltimore, where McCann recorded a .657 OPS for the last two years. The right-handed hitter does have some pop in his bat, but he rarely walks, and McCann strikes out a lot. He is the prototypical right-handed hitting catcher.

Fresh off a career year in 2020 with the White Sox in which he produced a .896 OPS, McCann inked a four-year deal with the Mets for $40.6 million. He never lived up to the contract, and New York dealt him to the Orioles for a player to be named later and paid Baltimore $19 million to take on his contract.

So, why would the Padres be interested?

Quite frankly, their current catching situation is scary. Luis Campusano fell out of favor with the club and is the best option. Behind him is journeyman minor leaguer Brett Sullivan and Brandon Valenzuela, who has no service time in the majors. They need help. And they need it now.

McCann will not get anything close to what he made last season. He needs to admit that fact.

What the Padres can offer him is- the lion’s share of the time behind the plate and an opportunity to build his value. A one-year deal with incentives seems the best fit for both sides.

McCann is no spring chicken and is not the answer in the long term for San Diego. The Padres have Ethan Salas waiting in the wings, but the young catcher will need time to develop. A veteran like McCann would help fill that void until Salas is ready.

Expect the Padres to explore more options behind the plate as they formulate their roster for the 2025 season.

James McCann makes sense, but only at a price that fits the current plan for the Padres.

James Clark

James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.