9:33 pm: If not added to the MLB roster, Grandal’s deal will have an exit clause on May 1 and if he wins the call, he will receive a base salary of 1.35mm.
5:15 pm: Red Sox and Catcher Yasmani Grandal According to Robert Murray of The Fanatic, a minor league deal has been reached. Wasserman customers will probably need some upgrade time after lacking spring training, but in a few weeks it could be an option for Sox.
The move may reflect the sparse depth of Boston. Connor Wong It was the main defender at the club, but he recently suffered a fracture in the receiver’s intervention game, putting him on the 10-day injury list. The club used to have one of the highest attractive prospects in the sport, but the deal Kyle Teel As part of the White Sox Garrett Crochet trade.
The yellow wound has moved Carlos Narváez From the backup point to the top of the depth map. He only has 14 major league experience. Blake Sabor Although he is more of a practical guy who can get into trouble, he is called back to the bench, although he is more of a clumsy guy and has rather questionable defensive abilities. They have an experienced non-stock option because Seby Zavala Signed a minor league deal with Triple-A Worcester, but his career rate is .205/.271/.342 and started with Woosox with a .136/.136/.182 advantage.
Given these circumstances, adding a veteran is a fairly simple move, especially one with a Grandal trail. He made his debut in 2012 and became one of the best catchers in the league about a decade ago.
He has been away for a few years now, but had a solid season with the Buccaneers last year. He played 72 games and played 243 times for the Bucs. His 9.9% walk rate and 18.9% strikeout rate both outperformed the league average, and he also launched nine home runs. His .228/.304/.400 line leads to 95 WRC+. This shows that he is 5% worse than the league average, but the catcher is usually 10% worse than the PAR.
He has been considered a strong defender and still achieved good results last year, especially in terms of frameworks. Last year, Grandal ranked eighth on the Fanggraphs and Statcast Frameworks rankings, although the competition was less than most. Thanks to his decent offense and powerful gloves, Fangraphs thinks he deserves over 2.0 wins in the bench in the year, even if he only plays halfway.
Despite his outstanding performance, he has little interest in free agents. He reportedly rejected the proposal from Atlanta at one point and stayed in the market until he agreed to reach the deal. He naturally has to fall behind everyone else for a few weeks and needs to get into a game state. Sox could send him into spring training or just take him to one of their minor league branches to get playing time this way.
If he was in the game before Wong, he might be the best choice for the club to play the Lions’ time share. Even if Wong comes back while Grandal is still preparing, Narváez has the option and can also send it down if the club wants to pair with Wong/Grandal. The minor league trades don’t really hurt, especially in areas where the club is significantly weaker. Grandal is not only a warm body, because he has years of experience and has performed well last year.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry, Image
