With the 2018 year on the verge of coming to a close, all focus continues to be on the historic MLB free agent class that has yet to gain any traction thus far. Bryce Harper and Manny Machado remain unsigned, as well as a plethora of other notable players.
That holds true for former Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal, who is widely considered the top free agent at his position. The switch-hitting backstop has garnered plenty of interest this offseason, but still finds himself in search of a contract.
After turning down the Dodgers’ qualifying offer in November, many pegged Grandal to receive a lucrative, multi-year deal elsewhere this winter. An anonymous executive predicted Grandal would sign a contract with a total value that exceeds $60 million.
According to Jon Heyman of Fancred, Grandal is reportedly sitting on a four-year contract offer from an unknown team:
Yasmani Grandal, who statistically is the best catcher in the game over the last four years, is said to have four years somewhere if he wants it.
In recent weeks, the free agent market for catchers has begun to pick up with an increased amount of activity. The likes of Brian McCann, Wilson Ramos and Kurt Suzuki have all signed Major League contracts with lengths that span from one to two years.
Should Grandal truly have received a four-year contract offer, it comes off as surprising that he hasn’t pounced on the opportunity to sign it yet. To this point, not a single MLB free agent has signed a deal with a term that exceeds three years.
The Dodgers are said to be open to re-signing Grandal to a one-year contract, but that prospect seems highly unlikely unless his market collapses. Other teams to express interest in him include the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and New York Mets.
