The Los Angeles Dodgers have a number of free agents this offseason, with the biggest being shortstop Manny Machado, starter Hyun-Jin Ryu and catcher Yasmani Grandal.
Players that get traded in the middle of the season are not eligible to receive a qualifying offer, so the Dodgers could not extend one to Machado, but they did decide to offer the pact to both Ryu and Grandal.
If either was to accept, they would receive a one-year, $17.9 million contract to remain with the Dodgers. If they reject then they are allowed to test free agency, and the Dodgers will receive compensation in the form of a draft pick if they sign elsewhere.
Both players had 10 days to accept or reject the qualifying offer, and it appears Grandal has come to a decision as according to Robert Murray of The Athletic, he has rejected and opted for free agency:
Yasmani Grandal will reject the $17.9 million qualifying offer from the #Dodgers, sources tell The Athletic.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) November 12, 2018
With Grandal hitting the open market, it could mean his four-year tenure with the Dodgers is coming to an end. Grandal presumably will be looking for a long-term contract that Los Angeles may not be willing to hand out with catching prospects Keibert Ruiz and Will Smith just a year or two away from being Major League ready.
Grandal certainly had his ups and downs thus far in his time with Los Angeles. He was named an All-Star in 2015 and hit 89 home runs, which is the most for a catcher in the National League over the last four years.
Overall in 140 games in 2018, Grandal had one of his best offensive seasons. He hit .241/.349/.466 with 24 home runs and 68 RBI.
Grandal has struggled greatly in his postseason career, and that was again the case in 2018 on both sides of the ball. In 32 career postseason games with the Dodgers, the 30-year-old has batted just .107/.264/.200 with two home runs and six RBI.
If the Dodgers are to go in a different direction, one option may be Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto, who they were recently linked to. Although, it would take a hefty haul of prospects to complete a trade.
