Dodgers: Baseball Executives See A Lucrative Market For Yasmani Grandal
In terms of Los Angeles Dodgers free agent catcher Yasmani Grandal, I may be in the minority. I hate to see him go – but I love to watch him leave. My feeling is that it was simply time for the Dodgers and Grandal to go their separate ways. For now, that appears to be the likely path. Grandal rejected the Dodgers qualifying offer to become a free agent. Now, according to Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports; an attractive market awaits Grandal.
Heyman continued his interesting tidbits of Dodgers information in his tip sheet recently. One baseball executive believes that Grandal won’t be out of work for long.
Some saw Grandal’s call as a gamble since he performed so poorly in the postseason, but one exec thought he could receive a $60 million deal or so. He’s been in the top three in a few offensive categories in recent years, but defensive lapses may give some teams serious pause …
We can all speak towards those ‘defensive lapses’ and will be able to do so for quite some time. Still, Grandal’s offensive prowess can’t be denied.
Grandal hit 24 home runs, walked 72 times, and posted an .815 OPS. The guy can really hit for a backstop, and the Dodgers top replacement option remains Austin Barnes.
We will learn the new area code of one Yasmani Grandal very soon, and it’s unlikely to be the 323. As a whole, his career as a Dodger was a good one. It’s rare for every player that wears the uniform to end on a high note.
Analysis
For some reason I picture Yasmani Grandal in a Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim uniform, keeping him close to the 323 (ironically). Grandal’s ability probably plays up best for an AL team where he can serve as a designated-hitter as he moves well into his 30’s, extending his career and allowing for less time behind the dish. It’s obvious that he will receive an attractive multi-year offer, and his rejection of the Dodgers qualifying-offer states that he knows his worth to a degree. Meanwhile, the Dodgers will need to find a suitable replacement that bridges the gap to young guns like Will Smith and Keibert Ruiz for about a season.
Daniel Murphy was worth a lot more than Grandal and he didn’t get the qualifying offer he turned down when he walked away from Mets, and he had just finished on a higher note! I wish Grandal well, but IMO, he’s not worth the qualifying offer.
Then these fools can have at him and his foggy brain that’s taken one too many to the head, and his 0 clutch, horrible at bats. You better have a stacked lineup if you’re going to get this guy because he should bat 8th or 9th
The word “catcher” defines one who can actually catch a baseball. Yaz can’t and bye bye passed ball and post season zero