James McCann's No-Trade Clause Complicated Potential Liam Hendriks Deal

Former New York Mets catcher is heading to the Baltimore Orioles, but he almost ended up going to the Chicago White Sox instead.

Unfortunately for New York, a potential trade for Chicago's All-Star closer Liam Hendriks fell through due to McCann's no-trade clause.

McCann had a limited no-trade clause that allowed him to block deals to five teams. According to a source, the White Sox were on that list, so the idea that McCann might be part of a deal for Liam Hendriks was a non-starter.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 22, 2022

New York Mets Trade Rumors

The Mets have been linked to Hendriks in recent days and were apparently attempting to build a trade package for him that included McCann. Unfortunately for them, the White Sox are one of the five teams that McCann can block a trade to, preventing New York from including him. McCann played for Chicago from 2019-2020 and seemingly had no desire to return.

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The Mets pivoted by shipping him to the Baltimore Orioles instead, where he'll look to return to his All-Star form after a pair of down seasons with New York. McCann batted just .220/.282/.328 in 182 games with the Mets in 2021 and 2022, making the 32-year-old expendable.

While New York can still try to pursue Hendriks, it sounds like Chicago intends to hang on to him for now based on the latest reports.

The Chicago #WhiteSox say that while they indeed may be listening on trade overtures, their current plan is to retain All-Star closer Liam Hendriks in hopes they can bounce back and win the AL Central title.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 22, 2022

Given that the Mets already have a superstar closer in Edwin Diaz, Hendriks is a luxury they don't need. Still, the fact that they are even pursuing him proves once again how committed the team is to winning in 2023. New York is currently tied with the Houston Astros for the best World Series odds on FanDuel Sportsbook's MLB odds.

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