Driving down from his home in Duluth Friday morning, Brian McCann knew there was a chance it could be his last trip to Turner Field as a member of the Atlanta Braves.
Already down 1-0 in a best-of-five division series, if the Braves were to lose two of the next three games, including Games 3 and 4 (if necessary) in Los Angeles, the series is over and so potentially is his career with the Braves.
McCann is eligible for free agency at the end of the season, and with the likelihood that he’ll command $15-$18 million annually on the market, he’s expected to be offered more lucrative contracts by American League teams, which can also use him at designated hitter or at first base in the latter stages of the contract.
The Braves aren’t likely to offer top dollar, with both Evan Gattis and Christian Bethancourt available to catch going forward.
It’s a lot to process in one 30-minute drive for a guy who grew up in Duluth, was drafted in the second round by his hometown team and made seven All-Star teams as one of the best catchers in the game.
“When I think about it, it’s definitely there,” said McCann Friday afternoon, of making potentially his drive down as a Brave. “But at the same time what we’re doing here today is way more important than what’s going to happen to me after this season. So I’m just focused on today’s game. We’ve got to get this series 1-1 and go to LA and make this thing a series.”
McCann is in his ninth season with the Braves and was playing in his third division series, including 2005 and 2010, in addition to last year’s wild card playoff game. The Braves have lost Game 1 in all three of those series and gone on to lose.
“You don’t get these chances often and when you do get them, it’s special,” McCann said. “The feeling you get when you walk on the field for a postseason baseball game is like nothing you’ll ever experience. So everything is out the window. You try to win the ballgame and do the best you can and whatever happens happens.”
