Former Tigers second-round draft pick signs minor-league contract with Braves

We are now in the single-digit countdown to Opening Day, but one former Detroit Tigers player has just found a new home for the 2025 season.

Veteran catcher James McCann, a second-round pick by the Tigers in the 2011 MLB Draft, agreed to a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves earlier this week, as first reported by Robert Murray of FanSided. McCann's deal is worth $1 million at the Major League level, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.

McCann made his debut with the Tigers in 2014 and spent the first five seasons of his Major League career in Detroit until he became a free agent when he was non-tendered after the 2018 campaign. He spent the next two seasons with the Chicago White Sox before signing a four-year, $40 million contract with the New York Mets in 2021. He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles during the 2022-23 offseason after two seasons with New York.

Former Tigers second-round draft pick James McCann signs minor-league contract with Braves

McCann was one of the bigger names remaining on the free agent market this close to Opening Day. He spent the last two years backing up Adley Rutschman in Baltimore, where he hit .228/.274/.382 in a combined 134 games. His age and lengthy injury history likely hurt his value on the open market and prevented him from getting another Major League opportunity.

McCann signed with the Braves the same day they released another former Tigers catcher, Curt Casali, who failed to make the roster out of spring training. Casali was also a member of the Tigers' 2011 MLB Draft class, but the Tigers traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays before he reached the Majors.

McCann is expected to begin the 2025 season with Triple-A Gwinnett. He provides veteran insurance for the Braves with starting catcher Sean Murphy set to open the season on the injured list with a cracked rib. Chadwick Tromp is the only other catcher currently on Atlanta's 40-man roster, but 23-year-old prospect Drake Baldwin is expected to be slotted into the backup role before Opening Day.

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