The Astros parted ways with Brian McCann:

The Houston Astros have declined their $15 million club option for 2019 on catcher Brian McCann.

McCann spent the last two seasons with the Astros after a trade from the New York Yankees in November 2016. McCann made $17 million last season in the final guaranteed year of a five-year, $85 million contract he signed with the Yankees in 2014.

McCann came up young, age 21, and was an offensive force at catcher for many years. His offensive decline is long term, as he has not hit for power or average since leaving the Braves. The shelf life for a catcher is short, and McCann, with a 14-year career, did very well. He may catch on somewhere as a veteran backup catcher, especially if surgery really fixed his knee.