LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — In one section of the Braves’ clubhouse Wednesday morning at Champion Stadium, former Yankees pitcher Freddy Garcia tried to envision how many home runs catcher Brian McCann would hit at his new home.
“I don’t know how many home runs he got here,” the veteran right-hander said of his former teammate — McCann went deep 20 times last year. “He’ll probably hit 40 in New York. He hits a lot of fly balls to right field. Second deck [at Yankee Stadium].”
Diagonally from Garcia, all-world closer Craig Kimbrel praised his battery mate of the previous four seasons.
“He told me to quit trying to be so fine and just rear back and let my ability take over,” Kimbrel said of McCann. “And once I did that, I could start working on some other things. He always gives the pitcher a lot of confidence. Even if they don’t have their best stuff, he’s going to let them think they do.”
Up in the stands, a talent evaluator from another major league club expressed his belief John Ryan Murphy, the Yankees’ young catcher, possessed the potential to start someday for a big league team.
McCann’s first return to his original team’s Grapefruit League home allowed him to display all that he brings to the Yankees for his five-year, $85 million deal. He provides lineup depth, character depth and organizational depth. The last of those might come into play first.
Thanks to the presence of McCann, the Yankees can entertain the notion of trading another catcher, with the out-of-options Francisco Cervelli the most obvious chip. ESPN’s Buster Olney first pointed out a potential match between the Pirates, who need catching (after losing former Yankees catcher Chris Stewart to right knee surgery) and boast of excess relievers, and the Yankees, who appear to be the opposite.
Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review first reported the Pirates were open to trading New Jersey native Vin Mazzaro, who like Cervelli is out of options. Two industry sources told me the Pirates also would deal out-of-options pitchers Bryan Morris and Jeanmar Gomez — they’re more protective of Gomez since he can start as well as relieve.
The Pirates have received positive reports on Cervelli, who is enjoying a stellar spring (.500/.533/.929 in 11 games). Of course, the Yankees like Cervelli, too. However, as the aforementioned talent evaluator said of the Yankees, “I think their biggest concern isn’t their infield, but their bullpen.”
Behind new closer David Robertson, who has thrown four scoreless innings over five games this spring, folks such as Shawn Kelley, Danny Burawa and left-hander Fred Lewis have performed well. As have David Phelps and Adam Warren in starting roles. They’re in the bullpen conversation because their fellow fifth-starter candidate Michael Pineda increasingly looks like the guy the Yankees thought they were acquiring two years ago.
New left-hander Matt Thornton has an 11.57 ERA in four games, totaling 2 ¹/₃ innings. Small sample size, of course. Nevertheless, yeesh.
The potential exists for the current crew to put together a respectable bullpen. Yet it is replete with unproven commodities. It’s worth noting, too, that free-agent closer Joel Hanrahan still is working his way back from May 2013 Tommy John surgery. An open showcase for clubs isn’t imminent — and therefore Hanrahan signing somewhere isn’t imminent — yet you can expect the Yankees to attend that audition when it occurs.
Maybe the Pirates or another club will bite on Cervelli, or Austin Romine, or Murphy. In any case, coming off a 2013 campaign in which they found themselves bereft of chips to fill their many holes via trade, the signing of McCann in particular has allowed them to negotiate with items other teams might actually want.
McCann received a warm applause from the fans welcoming him back here, although the day’s top crowd love went to the retiring Derek Jeter. McCann said he made the 71-mile trip from Tampa to catch Ivan Nova, not to catch up with his longtime employers.
“I loved my time here,” McCann said. “But now I’m here [with the Yankees]. And I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
The 30-year-old quickly has won over his new superiors and teammates, validating the positive personality profile with which he entered. He can help them win even more games if his arrival allows the Yankees to fill other needs.