Fastball

Former Disappointing Chicago White Sox Catcher Yasmani Grandal Drawing Free Agent Interest

The switch-hitter, who spent last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, reportedly has several teams interested in him at this point of the winter.

Brady Farkas

Chicago White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal (24) scores in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in 2023.
Chicago White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal (24) scores in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in 2023. / David Reginek-Imagn Images
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Free agent catcher Yasmani Grandal is reportedly drawing real interest on the free agent market this offseason.

Per Cuban Baseball Insider Francys Romero:

More than 5 MLB teams are interested in signing Cuban C/DH Yasmani Grandal for the 2025 season, per sources.

Grandal finished the 2024 season strong, with an impressive offensive line of .311/.440/.554, plus 5 HR and 17 BB since August 1 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The 36-year-old was one of the team's big signings heading into the 2020 season, but unfortunately it didn't go all that well. Though Chicago made the playoffs in both 2020 and 2021, Grandal hit just .226 on the South Side. Furthermore, he hit just 44 home runs, though it should be noted that the 2020 season was only 60 games because of the pandemic. He hit 23 homers in 2021, but failed to hit more than eight in any of the other three seasons.

He produced a negative WAR (per Baseball Reference) in each of his last two seasons with the Sox. He signed a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates for 2023, hitting over 72 games. Grandal hit nine home runs in total, although as Romero notes, most of that came at the end of the season.

A 13-year veteran, Grandal has also played with the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers. He made the All-Star Game with the Dodgers in 2015 and the Brewers in 2019.

Given his age, staying healthy will always be a concern. He's played 100 games or more only once since 2019 (2023).

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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