McCann returns to Braves on one-year deal

Catcher Brian McCann is returning to the Atlanta Braves on a one-year, $2 million contract, the team announced Monday. The 34-year-old McCann was a seven-time All-Star for the Braves between 2005-13. McCann became a free agent when the Houston Astros declined his $15 million option for 2019. McCann, who is from the Atlanta area, made six straight All-Star teams from 2006-11 and again made the squad in 2013 during his time with the Braves. He hit 20 or more homers in seven of his eight full seasons with the Braves. McCann departed as a free agent after the 2013 season and signed with the New York Yankees. He hit 20 or more homers in each of his three seasons in the Bronx. The Yankees traded McCann to the Astros following the 2016 campaign. He hit 18 homers as part of Houston's 2017 World Series championship squad. McCann was limited to 63 games last season, missing part of the campaign after undergoing knee surgery in July. He batted just .212 with seven homers and 23 RBIs. Overall, McCann is batting .263 with 270 homers and 973 RBIs in 1,670 games over 14 seasons. McCann's 10 20-homer campaigns rank fourth all-time among catchers, trailing Hall of Famers Mike Piazza (12 seasons), Johnny Bench (11) and Yogi Berra (11). Atlanta designated left-hander Ricardo Sanchez for assignment to create a spot on the 40-man roster for McCann. The 21-year-old Sanchez was 3-5 with a 3.79 ERA in 16 starts for three different minor league affiliates in 2018. --Field Level Media