It was easy to see what the Mets saw in James McCann when they signed him to a four-year, $40 million contract in early December. McCann, a career backup in Detroit who struggled to play over replacement level for four seasons there, went to the South Side of Chicago and changed everything about the way he played. He overhauled his swing, he altered the way he set up to frame, and across two seasons and 587 PAs for the White Sox, McCann not only turned himself into an above-average hitter, but a much better defender as well.
James McCann was a gamble that did not pay off
