Grandal no longer an option for Braves

Free agent catcher Yasmani Grandal signs long-term deal with White Sox

The White Sox agreed to a contract with free agent catcher Yasmani Grandal on Thursday. He will reportedly get a four-year deal worth $73 million.

Grandal was mentioned as an option for the Braves, who are obviously looking to replace Brian McCann, who retired at the end of the 2019 season. There was never an official rumor about Atlanta wanting Grandal, only that he was the best free agent catcher available and they have a need at that position.

With Grandal off the market, the Braves will now have to look elsewhere for a new receiver. One name to keep in mind is James McCann, who Grandal will replace as the starting catcher for the White Sox.

McCann had been non-tendered by the Tigers after he hit .220 with a .267 on base percentage in 2018. He then broke out offensively in Chicago, hitting .273 with a .328 OBP in the same number of games (118) he played the season before.

The one thing that may keep the Braves from having interest is McCann’s defense, which actually regressed in 2019. He had a -10.2 FRAA (fielding runs above average), as rated by Baseball Prospectus. That had him ranked 107th out of 113 players.

Grandal had the third best FRAA in 2019 with a 20.1. Tyler Flowers actually ranked 9 with a 10.3, while Brian McCann had a 5.00.

With Flowers having defensive issues last season, the Braves may want to shy away from any catcher that has had similar problems in the past. But McCann’s offensive strengths will definitely have any team in need of a catcher at least checking in with his agent.

Alex Avila, Yan Gomes, Jason Castro, Jonathan Lucroy, Chris Iannetta and Francisco Cervelli are among the other players still on the market as free agent catchers.