...
By Jon Paul Hoornstra
Contributing Sports Writer
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Free-agent catcher Yasmani Grandal and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a minor-league contract, according to Robert Murray of FanSided on Twitter/X.
Grandal, 36, was with the Pittsburgh Pirates last season but had yet to sign a contract for the 2025 season.
Read More on MLB
According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, the contract pays Grandal a pro-rated portion of $1.35 million if he's promoted to the major league roster.
A veteran of 13 major league seasons, Grandal has played 1,307 games for the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox and Pirates since his 2012 debut.
...
Grandal has long been regarded as a strong pitch-framing catcher. No catcher has been credited with more framing runs since Statcast began tracking the metric than Grandal (103); Buster Posey is a distant second with 66.
Despite limited playing time with the Pirates last season, Grandal was credited with six framing runs, tied for eighth in MLB. Although he slashed .228/.304/.400 last season, major league catchers slashed only .234/.299/.380 as a whole in 2024, making Grandal no worse than league-average at his position as a 35-year-old.
More news: Red Sox Release Former All-Star Pitcher
A switch-hitter, Grandal is six years removed from the last of his two All-Star appearances (2015, 2019). He has 194 home runs and 592 RBIs in his career.
According to Francys Romero, Grandal declined an earlier 2025 contract offer from the Atlanta Braves.
More news: Red Sox Promote One of Their Top Prospects for MLB Debut
While Carlos Narvaez and Connor Wong are off to a good start blocking pitches, Boston's catchers have a collective .532 OPS — 26th in MLB. Wong recently went on the 10-day injured list with a fractured finger, testing the team's depth chart. Blake Sabol was recalled from Triple-A.
Grandal is purely an extra option as a backup at this point in his career.
During his last two seasons as a starter, in 2022-23 with the Chicago White Sox, he hit .202 and .234 respectively. His walk rate and his power dropped; Grandal slugged a total of 13 homers over the two full seasons.
More news: Red Sox Sign Top Prospect To $60 Million Contract Extension: Reports
The rebuilding White Sox did not re-sign Grandal following the 2023 season. Instead, he agreed to a one-year contract with the Pirates, giving them an experienced backstop to assist Jason Delay and Henry Davis.
In his prime, Grandal was the Dodgers' primary catcher during their runs to the World Series in 2017 and 2018. From 2016-19, Grandal averaged 25 home runs per season to go with an .814 OPS (115 OPS+).
Grandal still ranks 18th all-time in home runs by catchers with 194 home runs. Instead of retiring, he might soon get a chance to add to that total with a Red Sox team that's 6-7 and getting strong production from their lineup — with the conspicuous exception of one position.
For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines