Yankees trade catcher Brian McCann to Astros
The Yankees traded veteran catcher Brian McCann to the Astros on Thursday for minor league pitchers Albert Abreu and Jorge Guzman.
McCann, 32, hit .242 with 20 home runs and 58 RBIs last year for New York and is a career .266 hitter. He has strung together nine consecutive seasons of 20-plus home runs and has also spent time as a first baseman and designated hitter. He is likely to share time with Evan Gattis behind the plate, with Fox Sports’s Ken Rosenthal reporting Gattis will catch around 50–60 games and McCann the rest.
ESPN’s Buster Olney reports the Yankees will pay $5.5 million of McCann’s $17 million salary in each of the next two seasons.
Abreu was recently rated the Astros’ No. 7 prospect by MLB.com. Abreu had a 3.72 ERA in 24 appearances (16 starts) between Single-A and High-A ball last season, and Guzman had a 3.06 ERA in 40 innings of rookie ball.
Both Abreu and Guzman turn 21 next season.
