Yasmani Grandal, a former catcher with the Chicago White Sox, has moved. According to reports, the 35-year-old backstop and the Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a one-year contract worth $2.5 million plus performance bonuses.
Not everything about Grandal’s four years in Chicago went as planned for the Sox. Prior to the 2020 COVID-shortened season, Grandal inked the once-largest deal in White Sox history and helped lead the South Siders to two straight postseason appearances. But the veteran catcher’s injuries started to mount, and he was only able to play in 99 games in 2022 and just 93 games in 2021.
In addition to those ailments, Grandal started to perform less well. Following a career-high 3.7 bWAR in 2021, the next two seasons were hardly stellar. Grandal cut in 2022.202/.301/.269 with a career-worst -1.4 bWAR, despite only five home runs and seven doubles. While he slashed, there was some progress in 2023, but not nearly enough to declare it a full recovery.234/.309/.339, 14 doubles, eight home runs, and -0.7 bWAR.
Grandal has joined a Pirates team that was in need of an experienced catcher. The Pirates’ catching depth chart has Jason Delay, Endy Rodriguez, and Ali Sanchez, who together have 521 MLB at-bats, excluding the recently signed Grandal.
If Grandal stays healthy until 2024, he should get a good number of starts.