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 "To say this one of the best days of my life would be an
understatement," McCann said after donning a No. 34 pinstriped
uniform jersey.
McCann, 29, batted .256 with 20 home runs and 57 runs batted in over
102 games last season for the Atlanta Braves after missing the first
30 games recovering from right shoulder surgery.
The Yankees, winners of a Major League Baseball record 27 World
Series titles, failed to reach the post-season last season for only
the second time in 19 years with an aged squad beset by injuries and
lacking in power.
"Brian McCann's been one of the game's great catchers," Yankees
general manager Brian Cashman said.
"We're hoping that he can come over here and continue the type of
production on the offensive and defensive side that he's provided in
Atlanta."
The deal with McCann, worth a reported $85 million over the first
five years, gives the Yanks a much-needed offensive upgrade behind
the plate.
New York used four catchers last season, who accounted for a major
league-low eight home runs from the position, while McCann has
strung together six seasons in a row with 20 or more home runs in
the pitcher-friendly Atlanta ballpark.
While the catcher figures to be an important improvement, the
Yankees vow they have just begun addressing their problems.
"This winter we have a lot more needs than I'm used to
experiencing," Cashman said.
"Some years we're more active than in other years. We have to be
this year.
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"We added an important piece here but it can not
be the only piece. We have to add more pieces to be able to make
some noise."
Former Boston Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury has been
widely reported to have agreed on a seven-year, $153 million
free-agent deal to join the Yankees, but Cashman would not
confirm it as a done deal yet.
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said the team was still hoping to
sign their free-agent second baseman Robbie Cano.
"We're still talking. We're still a distance apart, so we're
just going to have to see," Steinbrenner said. "Robbie is one of
the best players in baseball and he's been a great Yankee.
"We're just going to have to keep plugging away."
Steinbrenner and Cashman both said they hoped to reach an
agreement to bring back Japanese starter Hiroki Kuroda, but even
that would leave them short in the pitching rotation.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi expects further roster moves, but he
was all smiles on Thursday in welcoming McCann to the Bronx.
"He's an offensive catcher that has the ability to work a
pitching staff," said Girardi, a former major league catcher
himself. "He's a complete catcher.
"We feel he has a chance to be extremely productive."
(Reporting by Larry Fine, editing by Steve Keating)
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