Could The A's Add This Former Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Catcher?
As February is inching closer, and the A's have already spent some money improving their roster for the upcoming season, it's cool to look at what other positions the A's can improve at. Certainly, the club should be looking to add a left-hander to fill out the bullpen, but the catcher position is another spot that could be improved on before the season starts.
In the 2024 season, Kyle McCann backed up Shea Langeliers. He didn't do a bad job by any means, but with the club on the rise, adding a veteran catcher would certainly benefit the team. It's also worth noting that McCann hit well for the team in the first half, posting a .293 average and a .387 OBP.
However, in the second half, he posted a horrific .125 batting average and his playing time really dwindled in the second half.
It simply doesn't make sense for McCann to be the only backup catcher on the team's 40-man roster heading into Spring Training. He needs some competition to make him earn his spot back in 2025.
The selection of catchers available on the free agent market currently is fairly small. However, Paul Skenes' personal catcher, Yasmani Grandal, is currently a free agent, and the switch-hitter would be a welcome addition. With how dominant Skenes was last season, it seems like the veteran Grandal likely played a role, and could earn himself a nice little contract in 2025 because of it.
Yasmani Grandal's stats in his 2024 campaign certainly don't jump out, as he batted .228, with an OPS of .704. However, Grandal's first-half statistics bring down the incredible stats he posted in the second half of 2024. After the All-Star break, Grandal batted .302 with a .987 OPS in 86 at-bats and doubled his home run count from the first half.
This shows hope that the 36-year-old catcher has a chance to have a productive 2025 campaign coming off a solid second half of 2024.
After killing things in the second half, and helping Paul Skenes pitch his way into winning the National League Rookie of the Year, it will be super difficult for Pittsburgh to part ways with Yasmani Grandal. However, if the A's can overpay to bring in Grandal's talents, he might be able to improve the A's current pitching staff, as well as hopefully bring some offensive talent to the A's lineup on days where Langeliers needs rest.
When building a good baseball team, having a solid backup catcher is very important so that the drop-off between the starter and the backup backstop is minimized. Grandal would certainly fill this vacancy well for the A's.
Although it will be difficult for the A's to pry away Yasmani Grandal from Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates, it could be super beneficial for the A's to add his on-the-field talent, as well as his talents on improving the young A's pitching staff.
I grew up playing baseball, and also enjoyed watching and writing about my favorite team, the A’s. Being a diehard A’s fan from New Jersey is certainly not common, but I love the team and all of the current and former players so much. I currently attend school at Penn State Scranton where I get the opportunity to play college baseball.