Brian McCann will be coming home to Atlanta.
And as luck would have it, the Braves have a substantial void to fill at the catching slot, in the wake of Kurt Suzuki bolting for the Nationals.
Win-win for both sides on this reunion tour?
Or might it be a case of too little, too late with McCann?
Per usual, the baseball gods will eventually settle this debate.
On Monday, fresh off the Thanksgiving holiday, the Braves signed the 34-year-old McCann, the Duluth native and former franchise fixture from 2005-13.
For those nine seasons, McCann made seven All-Star appearances, while racking up impressive tallies with homers (176), RBI (661), runs (464), on-base percentage (.350) and OPS rate (.823).
In 2014, McCann left Atlanta to sign a mega-deal with the Yankees, with the hopes of helping the club win a championship.
Instead, that dream would later be realized with the Astros, after Houston acquired the slugger in a trade.
Truth be told, the acquisition of Justin Verlander might have lent greater significance to the Astros winning it all in 2017. However, McCann belted one homer in that exhilarating World Series against the Dodgers (Game 5).
Factoring in Monday's news, the Braves will likely platoon the tandem of McCann and Tyler Flowers for the coming season.
As for Atlanta's backstop plans beyond 2019?
The highest-ranked catcher in the Braves' system: William Contreras, a 20-year-old prospect who's been earmarked for a major-league debut in 2021.
