Yankees Rumors: Mike Foltynewicz Held Up Trade With Atlanta Braves

New York Yankees Rumors: Did a potential Brian McCann trade with the Atlanta Braves fall through because of Mike Foltynewicz?

New York Yankees rumors will begin to really pick up in the coming weeks as the MLB Posteason wears on. The Yankees didn’t make the playoffs this season, but there is a lot to be excited about in the Bronx. The Yankees have a ton of young talent that already made an impact this past season, with more on the way. Could there have been another addition to that group this past summer?

With the emergence of Gary Sanchez, the Yankees began talking calls for catcher Brian McCann. Sanchez had a historic season in his first extended chance at the major league level. With his level of play, Sanchez looks to have taken over as the No.1 catcher.

He surpassed McCann this past season, and the job should be his come Spring Training. Because of that, the Yankees began to engage in some preliminary trade talks for McCann. One of the teams that they talked with was his former team, the Atlanta Braves.

The Yankees and Braves had discussions about McCann, but they reportedly did not get very far. According to George A. King III, who cited industry sources, the talks did not get far because of Mike Foltynewicz.

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King said that the Yankees were very fond of Foltynewicz, and their insistence on him being included in a deal for McCann stalled talks before they reached a serious level. The 25-year old Foltynewicz is exactly what the Yankees have been looking for; a young pitcher with plenty of years of control left.

Foltynewicz will not hit arbitration until 2018 and took strides in 2016. He improved across the board this past season with a 9-5 record, 4.31 ERA, and 1.29 WHIP. He improved his per inning stats as well, as his strikeouts went up, while his hits and walks went down. It would have been another high upside move by the Yankees, but the Braves balked at including Foltynewicz at the time.

But, it does not rule out a deal being made centered around McCann at a later time. Reacquiring McCann is something that the Braves could come back to, as they have not hid their desire to bring McCann back to Atlanta.

McCann began his career with the Braves, playing there from 2005-2013. He made the All-Star game seven times, as he was right in the middle of all the Braves success during that period of time. He left the Braves as a free agent, but they would like to bring him back in time for the opening of their new stadium in 2017.

Trading McCann could be a risky move for the Yankees, as it would leave them with only Austin Romine to be paired with Sanchez. McCann has value in the American League, as he could be used at DH when he is not catching or at first base. Having that veteran presence could only help, but this may be the time to strike for the Yankees trading McCann.

While McCann isn’t getting any younger at 32-years old, the catching market is bare, to say the least. Wilson Ramos‘ knee injury clouds his future, making the free agent market for catchers very thin. A team looking to add an impact player at the position will have to do it on the trade market, as there aren’t many, if any, players better than McCann.

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While there are negatives to moving a player like McCann, the opportunity may be too good to pass up for Brian Cashman and the Yankees. McCann’s value may never get higher than it is now, so it would not be shocking to see the Yankees shop around yet another veteran as the youth movement is in full swing.

McCann does have a no-trade clause in his contract, but the Braves are confident he would waive that to return to Atlanta.

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