Matt Ehalt

Staff Writer, @MattEhalt

The Yankees finally found a trading partner for Brian McCann.

The catcher has been dealt to the Houston Astros along with cash considerations for two-right handed-pitchers, the team announced Thursday. The Yankees are receiving Class A starter Albert Abreu, the Astros’ No. 7 prospect, according to MLB.com, and rookie league pitcher Jorge Guzman.

McCann waived his no-trade clause to facilitate the deal.

"I've still got some good years left behind the plate," McCann told the New York Daily News. "I'm a catcher and that's what I want to play. That was what it came down to. With Gary being a catcher and me still wanting to catch, the trade was a perfect fit."

With Gary Sanchez emerging as the team’s everyday catcher, McCann became expendable, and the Yankees had entertained offers for McCann during the season but did not come close to a deal. McCann has $34 million left on his contract plus a $15 million option for 2019, and the full no-trade clause gave him leverage.

The Yankees will pick up $5.5 million of the $17 million McCann is owed each of the next two seasons, according to a report from fanragsports.com.

The Braves — McCann’s former team – and the Astros had been linked to the Yankees as possible trade partners, and the Yankees found a match with Houston with a deal that nets them two young hurlers.

Abreu, 21, went 3-8 with a 3.72 ERA in 24 games (16 starts) in Class A in 2016, and struck out more than one batter per inning. A scouting report on MLB.com says Abreu can hit 99 mph with his fastball. Guzman, 20, went 3-4 with a 4.05 ERA in 13 games (eight starts) with two teams in the rookie league.

Neither are in MLB.com’s list of top 100 prospects.

In trading McCann, the Yankees are clearing even more salary, and now have to find a designated hitter for next season. McCann had served as the team’s everyday catcher in 2016 before losing playing time when Sanchez took over, but he was penciled in as the team’s designated hitter for the 2017 season.

The 32-year-old hit .242 with 20 homers and 58 RBI this past season, and is the only active major leageur to hit at least 20 homers in each of the past nine seasons. He signed a five-year deal with an option before the 2014 season, and hit .235 with a .731 OPS and 69 homers with the Yankees.

The Yankees may be able to use the salary they cleared to sign an elite reliever such as Aroldis Chapman, and they could try to bring back Carlos Beltran to serve as their designated hitter. Austin Romine figures to serve as the team’s backup catcher next season with McCann out of the picture.

"It satisfied a lot of things -- additional money to play with from our end gives us a lot of choices in the trade and free-agent market," Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman told reporters Thursday according to the Daily News. "Does it mean we're absolutely going to do something? No. But we're going to be open to doing so. Now I can pursue a lot of different scenarios for the (designated hitter) or other positions. We're going to continue to pursue pitching as well as offense now."

McCann is now the fourth marquee player the Yankees have traded dating back to this past season’s trade deadline with Chapman, Beltran and Andrew Miler also being dealt to help bolster the team’s farm system. The team could continue its aggressive ways and try to trade outfielder Brett Gardner.

Keeping McCann would have given the Yankees a fallback option and a veteran bat to serve as the designated hitter, but this deal shows the faith the Yankees have in Sanchez after an historic rookie season. The young catcher swatted 20 homers with a 1.032 OPS in 53 games, and finished second in the rookie of the year voting behind Detroit starter and ex-Mets prospect Michael Fulmer.