Pirates ink C Yasmani Grandal to 1-year deal

During the Super Bowl, the Pirates made a strong addition to the big-league roster. Catcher Yasmani Grandal has signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates worth $2.5 million with incentives. 

The Pirates were reportedly interested in C Gary Sanchez, but ultimately, he chose to sign a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers worth $7 million. After missing out on Sanchez, Ben Cherington signed a different free-agent catcher on the market for a much cheaper deal.

Yasmani Grandal is 35 and joining the Pirates as a backup catcher. Grandal has seen better days with his bat but is an upgrade for the Pirates over Jason Delay. In 2023, Grandal had a batting average of .234 with eight home runs and 33 runs batted in. He also had a .648 OPS and a wRC+ of 80. Grandal also has a good history with his glove. With some of the young pitching in the Pirates organization, this signing could benefit these arms in their development.

Grandal has seen better days, but it is still an offensive improvement over Delay. The catching room looks stronger now as Davis and Grandal should be on the opening-day roster. This signing makes the Pirates better. Plain and simple. They still need a starting pitcher, but with pitchers and catchers reporting this week, getting Grandal now is smart. We have seen the Pirates sign guys like Andrew Knapp and Tyler Heineman during Spring Training, which did not help the club. 

Good signing Ben Cherington and Welcome to Pittsburgh, Yasmani!