In his first offseason as Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations nearly four years ago, Andrew Friedman created shockwaves by orchestrating an intra-division trade with the San Diego Padres that saw Matt Kemp and Yasmani Grandal swap uniforms.
The transaction garnered scrutiny at the time, but it was the Dodgers who got the better part of the deal. Kemp lasted all of one and a half seasons with San Diego while Grandal has helped stabilize the catcher position for Los Angeles ever since his arrival.
The switch-hitting backstop has provided power at the position, slugging 89 home runs in his first four seasons with the Dodgers. During that span, he’s additionally tallied 76 doubles while sporting a .790 on-base plus slugging to boot.
Friedman believes Grandal’s offensive skills separate him from the rest of the pack, making him one of the most valuable catchers in all of baseball, via Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times:
“When you factor in the offensive bar at the position and just, I think, that position takes such a toll on your body, which is a big part of why the offensive bar isn’t extremely high,” Friedman said. “And he’s obviously significantly above that bar. … The overall production and value is really high.”
As Friedman notes, it’s typically rare for a catcher to produce elite offensive numbers while routinely suiting up behind home plate. But Grandal is one of the few exceptions, as his 89 home runs is second to only Kansas City’s Salvador Perez (97) since the start of 2015.
Grandal has also proved his value on the defensive side, once again placing at the top of the leaderboard in pitch framing efficiency.
Now a free agent, Grandal figures to cash in with his first lucrative multi-year contract. He headlines a relatively weak market for catchers, joined by Jonathan Lucroy, Wilson Ramos and potentially Brian McCann.
Though, Grandal was extended a qualifying offer by the Dodgers, which may hinder his market.
