Torey Lovullo Explains How D-backs Signed James McCann

Veteran catcher James McCann has been a revelation for the Arizona Diamondbacks. But as it turns out, his arrival in Arizona might not have come to pass without the efforts of a certain Cy Young-winning pitcher — namely, right-hander Corbin Burnes.

McCann, the former White Sox All-Star, had been playing for the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A squad when Diamondbacks' Gold Glover Gabriel Moreno went down with what would eventually be diagnosed as a hairline fracture.

McCann was granted his release on June 22, then signed with the D-backs a day later.

Since then, McCann has impressed. He's been a steadying presence for some of Arizona's arms, while bringing a great deal of veteran savvy to a roster full of young hitters and pitchers.

His bat has been valuable, too. McCann has homered twice in back-to-back games, and he's posted a 114 wRC+ (14% above average).

So how did this revelation come to be? In Tuesday's pre-game press conference, manager Torey Lovullo explained how the injured ace tipped the D-backs off to McCann's abilities.

How Arizona Diamondbacks Signed James McCann

According to Lovullo, Burnes — a former teammate of McCann's in Baltimore — vouched for the veteran backstop to Arizona's front office.

"Corbin Burnes started to sing his praise a little bit," Lovullo said.

"Mike [Hazen] was in there, and [assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye] was in there, and [Burnes] made a suggestion about James McCann when we were having some catching issues when Gabi went down. So that's how that got plugged in."

Burnes may be down for the rest of the 2025 season (and much of 2026), but having the ace around the organization is still paying dividends for the D-backs, Lovullo said.

"These are the advantages of having players stay involved when they are not eligible to play. Corbin is out until the All-Star break of next year, but I asked him to come around, and he's been coming out every Sunday, and sometimes he comes more than tha," Lovullo said.

"Just in simple conversations, he will say certain things. ... I'm grateful for those conversations."

Despite being a relatively under-the-radar signing at the time, McCann has stepped into the veteran backup role, not only spelling Moreno, but also working to develop relationships with pitchers.

It doesn't seem coincidental that struggling veterans like Zac Gallen and Eduardo Rodriguez began to show steady improvement once McCann took on a prominent role with Arizona.

"You could probably target the day he got here and take a look at our ERA and do some of the reverse math on your own. I know it's been very good since he's gotten here," Lovullo said.

"I think he's had a strong input as to the success that we've had overall as a pitching staff. I think we've climbed from 29th up to somewhere in the low 20s. Between he and Gabi, they've done a great job."

Lovullo praised McCann's maturity and intellect — gained from year after year of dealing with big-league pitchers.

"The conversations are A-plus inside of the dugout between coaches, between me, between he and the coaches, between he and I, between he and the player. Some of the things that he said to Zac [Gallen] yesterday were on PhD level. And that experience is what he's drawn from.

"You can't fast-forward experience. You have to put in the at-bats and the innings behind the plate to say some of the things that he's saying. So when he says it, it's like an anchor. It's like an anchor hit in the middle of the room. You listen. You pay attention to it," Lovullo said.

How Arizona Diamondbacks Signed James McCann

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