The Mets are nearing a deal with James McCann. How does this affect the Blue Jays?

It looks like the Mets might finally push over the first domino.

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Mets and free-agent catcher James McCann are nearing a four-year contract.

McCann spent parts of five seasons in Detroit as more of a glove-first, mediocre catcher before randomly breaking out with the White Sox. McCann slashed a .240/.288/.366 line over 1658 plate appearances. He then signed with Chicago and proceeded to have an explosion offensively, slashing a .276/.334/.474 line over 587 plate appearances with the White Sox.

Why does this matter? The Mets, who rival the Blue Jays as this winter’s hyper-aggressive, we’re-checking-in-on-everyone team, can finally kickstart free agency with this move.

As I speculated last week, the Mets signing McCann as their upgrade behind the plate is likely part of a larger plan to splurge on a top free agent at a different position. That could be George Springer, who would fill New York’s glaring need in the outfield, or it could be Trevor Bauer, who would add to an already-strong starting rotation.

Apparently, there’s some disconnect between Steve Cohen, the Mets’ new, deep-pocketed owner, and Sandy Alderson, who may or may not be calling the shots on the baseball side of operations.

Anyway, whether it’s Springer or Bauer the Mets have their eyes on, signing McCann leaves J.T. Realmuto behind on the open market. Heading into the off-season, the Mets appeared to be the most likely suitor for Realmuto, so them going in a different direction shrinks his market.

Again, as I said last week, the Blue Jays don’t have a clear need for a catching upgrade given the fact they have Danny Jansen, Reese McGuire, Alejandro Kirk, and Riley Adams all in the mix, but you can always find room for elite talent.

Looking at the other teams who are expected to be aggressive on the free-agent market, there isn’t really another team with a glaring need for Realmuto. The White Sox signed Yasmani Grandal last winter and the Yankees have Gary Sanchez behind the plate and seem to be prioritizing re-signing D.J. LeMahieu.

So, ultimately, the Mets signing McCann could be the first domino in Realmuto ending up a Blue Jay, especially if adding Springer is also a part of New York’s plan. Of course, if the Mets sign McCann and Bauer, that would leave Springer as the obvious fit in Toronto.

We wait.