NEW YORK -- According to a report from Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Yankees catcher Brian McCann has cleared waivers and is eligible to be traded. The club hasn't confirmed, as the waiver process is confidential.
Though the Yankees may now trade McCann given the fact that he's cleared waivers, this doesn't necessarily mean a deal is imminent. It is common for teams to run players through waivers just to give themselves the opportunity to make deals if certain situations arise.
That said, the Yankees are in a period of change having just traded Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Carlos Beltrán ahead of the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline and with the upcoming retirements of Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira. Plus, there is thought to be at least one team interested in McCann. Reports surfaced before the Deadline that McCann's former team, the Braves, were interested in bringing McCann back to Atlanta, his hometown and the city in which he still lives during the offseason.
McCann is hitting .231 with 15 home runs and 44 RBIs this season in 89 games. This is McCann's third season with the Yankees. He signed a five-year, $85 million contract with the Yanks in 2014 with a team option for a sixth season. McCann has a full no-trade clause.
The Yankees recently called up Gary Sánchez, their fifth-ranked prospect and the best catching prospect in baseball, according to MLBPipeline.com. Sanchez started two games at catcher this weekend, knocking two doubles and throwing out two attempted basestealers.