Ex-White Sox All-Star Catcher Agrees to Minor-League Deal With Atlanta Braves

James McCann will bolster the depth at the position for the Braves and is expected to start the season at Triple-A Gwinnett.

Baltimore Orioles catcher James McCann (27) walks to the dugout before the start of the game against the Chicago White Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Sept. 4, 2024. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves are signing veteran James McCann to a minor league deal to provide depth at the position.

MLB.com and other outlets reported McCann won’t start the season in Atlanta but rather will begin at Triple-A Gwinnett as he gets baseball-ready. Since he was unsigned, he didn’t go through a traditional spring training and will need some preparation time.

Can confirm the Braves have signed C James McCann to a Minor League deal. He hasn’t had a Spring Training yet. So, he’ll spend the next couple weeks preparing to begin the season with Triple-A Gwinnett. @JonHeyman was on it

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) March 18, 2025

The need to add a catcher became evident when starting catcher Sean Murphy suffered a cracked left rib. He is expected to miss perhaps the first two weeks of the regular season, which begins March 27.

Until Murphy returns, Atlanta is expected to keep the team’s top prospect, Drake Baldwin, on the roster. He’s the No. 62 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.

Chadwick Tromp is Atlanta’s other catcher option in the absence of Murphy.

McCann, 34, was a second-round pick of the Tigers in the 2011 MLB Draft and made his debut in 2014, appearing in nine games. He was Detroit’s primary catcher the following four seasons, and since has played for the Chicago White Sox (2019-20), New York Mets (2021-22) and Baltimore Orioles (2022-24)/

He's been a backup the past three seasons.

McCann has played in 917 career games and has a career average of .241 with 92 home runs and 373 RBIs to his credit. He was an All-Star in 2019 with the White Sox.

When Murphy returns, the Braves will need to decide whether Baldwin will be on the major league roster or head to Gwinnett.

He’s had a good spring at the plate, hitting .333 (10 for 30) with two doubles and three RBIs in 13 games.

Baldwin, who turns 24 later this month, was drafted by the Braves in the third round of the 2022 draft out of Missouri State.

He appeared in 72 games last season at Gwinnett, hitting .298 with 12 homers and 55 RBIs.

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