One area the Los Angeles Dodgers figured to face some uncertainty at this offseason was the catcher position. That came to fruition when Yasmani Grandal rejected the qualifying offer and became a free agent.
The Dodgers re-signing Grandal was not considered likely prior to his declining the one-year pact, and the expectation has held since he reached the open market. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have been linked to backstops Yan Gomes and J.T. Realmuto.
Despite the appearance of some traction being gained, the Cleveland Indians instead traded Gomes to the Washington Nationals. The Miami Marlins’ asking price for Realmuto remains exorbitant.
As the Dodgers continue to evaluate free-agent and trade options, they held trade talks with the Pittsburgh Pirates for Francisco Cervelli, according to John Perrotto of DKPittsburghSports.com:
The Dodgers had emerged as a candidate earlier Tuesday. However, a baseball source said the teams had held just cursory talks and that Los Angeles’ interest was “very mild, at best, and more due diligence than anything.”
A similar report suggested the Dodgers were willing to part with Ross Stripling in a trade for the 32-year-old. Cervelli is entering the final year of a three-year, $31 million contract he signed with the Pirates.
Thus, he fits the profile of a stopgap the Dodgers may be in search of as Keibert Ruiz and Will Smith continue developing. That being said, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the team is open to both long- and short-term options behind the plate.
