Yasmani Grandal’s days on the White Sox could be numbered. On Monday USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the White Sox will “give away catcher Yasmani Grandal” before Tuesday’s deadline.
The news comes just after Ken Rosenthal reported that the White Sox are listening to offers on everyone on the roster including Dylan Cease. Grandal is in the final year of his four-year $73 million deal, which was at one point the richest contract in franchise history.
Trading catchers as a rental at the deadline is difficult because they typically need time to adjust to their new pitching staff. But Grandal has had a disappointing past couple of seasons so it makes sense that the White Sox would be willing to “give him away”.
The front office doesn’t have a ton of leverage in a Grandal trade. If they can get anything for an old broken-down catcher who no longer hits for power it would be a victory. However, it’s not unfathomable to think there may be teams interested in a switch-hitting catcher with postseason experience, especially if the price is cheap.
The 34-year-old catcher is hitting .251 this season with eight home runs, 29 RBIs, and a .699 OPS. His defense has taken a nosedive since arriving in Chicago. After once being ranked as one of the best defensive catchers in baseball he now ranks in the bottom first percentile in pop time to second base and in the 39th percentile in pitch framing.
For his White Sox career, he has slashed .229/.348/.390 with 44 home runs and 144 RBIs. His best season came in 2021 when he hit .240 with 23 home runs and a .420 OBP. His 23.2 walk rate was also the highest in baseball.
The White Sox’s willingness to move Grandal may stem from the fact that they won’t be bringing him back next season and have a MLB-ready catcher in Korey Lee, that they just traded for. The front office is probably eager to see what the 25-year-old can do. He made his MLB debut last season with 12 games with Houston.
Lee didn’t become a full-time catcher until 2019. He has made some strides defensively this season and received rave reviews from scouts for his arm strength. The ability to throw out base stealers has been an issue for the White Sox for the past several seasons. Lee is quick and athletic but needs more starts behind the plate. Giving him some time in the MLB during a lost season may be in the White Sox best interest.
