Red Sox
The Red Sox needed another catcher after Connor Wong broke one of his fingers this week.
The Red Sox are reportedly bolstering their catcher corps with a former All-Star.
According to FanSided.com’s Robert Murray, the Red Sox are signing Yasmani Grandal to a minor league contract. MassLive’s Sean McAdam added that Grandal will initially report to Triple-A Worcester, and will make $1.35 million in base salary if makes it back to the big-league ranks this season.
The Red Sox are in need of reinforcements at the catcher position after starting backstop Connor Wong suffered a broken pinky finger during Tuesday’s loss to the Blue Jays. With Wong on the mend, Boston’s starting catcher is Carlos Narvaez, with the team also calling up Blake Sabol from Worcester ahead of Wednesday’s matchup.
In Grandal, the Red Sox add a veteran into the mix. Narvaez and Sabol have only appeared in 137 total games against MLB competition.
Grandal played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2024, batting .228 with nine home runs and 27 RBI over 72 games. During his prime years with the Dodgers and Brewers, he was one of the top catchers in the majors, averaging 25 home runs and 69 RBI per season over that stretch with plus defense.
But Grandal’s play has dipped after signing a four-year, $73 million contract with the White Sox ahead of the 2020 season, with the veteran sporting a negative WAR in two of his next five seasons.
While he still possesses good pop at the plate (23 home runs in just 93 games with Chicago in 2021), his defensive game has eroded over the years. As noted by McAdam, he allowed 98 stolen bases in 118 games with Chicago in 2023 — the most of any catcher in the big leagues that year.
But given the state of Boston’s catching depth chart following Wong’s injury, bringing in an established player in Grandal stands as an expected move for Craig Breslow and the Red Sox’s top brass.
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