No way they were not picking up McCann's option.

Labrum surgery scares me. I really like McCann, but he's never been a great thrower and it wouldn't take a huge decline in arm strength to turn him into late-period Piazza. They had to pick up the option, but it's as scary as a one-year option can be.

If his throwing arm is gone for good, could they stick him at 1B and shift Freeman to an OF corner?

Freeman has limited range at first base. I have to think he'd be a horrific defensive outfielder.

Of course, the Braves spent years playing Ryan Klesko in left field not infrequently, so nothing's impossible.

Previous AJC reports quoted McCann as saying his injury didn't affect his throwing. Besides, Freddie's too smooth around the sack. If a move comes I'd prefer trying McCann in LF. He can't be worse than a lot of folks they've tried out there.

If his throwing arm is gone for good, could they stick him at 1B and shift Freeman to an OF corner?

You obviously haven't seen Freeman "run."

If his throwing arm is gone for good, could they stick him at 1B and shift Freeman to an OF corner?

Ima gonna go with "no." Honestly, if Mac can't throw but can hit, you might as well stick him in LF rather than play two men out of position. If anything, this suggests to me that Mac's career after next year will be in the AL as a DH.

You obviously haven't seen Freeman "run."

And McCann may be even slower.

McCann might be. Freeman looks like he's moving even slower than he is going, which is saying something. It's like he's spent his life never running and now he's figuring it out. Frankenstein has better technique.

Freeman looks like he's moving even slower than he is going, which is saying something.

That sounds like my recurring dream.

And McCann may be even slower.

And yet he's been successful on 77% of steal attempts in his career.

I mean, I've seen him steal bases on multiple occasions. And every time I see it, I feel like I've just witnessed the impossible.

Could McCann (gulp) move to third?

Could McCann (gulp) move to third?

Again, no. It just makes no sense. If Mac's shoulder is such that he can't play C, but you need him in the lineup regardless, you stick him in LF and take the defensive hit at a single position. You don't move two people out of position defensively.

Moving McCann to 1B and Freeman to LF would be akin to running the Mike Piazza at 1B and Todd Hundley in LF experiments in tandem. You leave your defensively solid 1B where he is and just let Mac be Hundley-to-Klesko-esque in the OF.

Similarly, moving your + 3B defender, Martin Prado, back to LF so you can play McCann there (when you already have Juan Francisco on the roster to smash as a crap defensive 3B) makes no sense. Just stick Mac in LF and let Prado play outstanding defense at 3B instead.

Bottom line is, Mac will catch next year. He'll probably be more of a 50/50 platoon guy with Ross, but he'll catch. Prado and Francisco will play 3B. Prado and someone - maybe Evan Gattis, maybe a free agent acquisition - will play LF. Freeman will play 1B.

Similarly, moving your + 3B defender, Martin Prado, back to LF

Also if McCann doesn't have the arm for C anymore, he probably doesn't have the arm for 3B.

He'd make a perfect replacement for Uggla at 2B. :-)