Marlins outfielder/pinch-hitter Curtis Granderson will turn 39 next March and is struggling through the worst offensive season of his career, but he tells Bill Ladson of MLB.com that he hopes to continue his career beyond the 2019 season. The veteran is open to a reunion with the Marlins, should the club have interest in re-signing him.
Granderson acknowledges that it’s not a “slam dunk” for a player of his age to find interest from any of the clubs in the league. This time last year, he was finishing up a season in which he hit .242/.351/.431 with 13 home runs between the Blue Jays and Brewers. Despite that solid production and his highly regarded clubhouse presence, Granderson had to settle for a minor league contract.
Now, Granderson will carry an eyesore of a batting line (.186/.286/.355 at present) into free agency. To his credit, the Grandy Man does have 11 home runs, 17 doubles and a triple under his belt this year. And his 26.9 percent strikeout rate, while higher than the league average, is only a modest increase from last season’s 26.3 percent clip. He’s still walking at an 11.6 percent rate, hasn’t seen his infield-fly rate jump and has slightly improved his hard-contact rate from 34.3 percent to 35 percent, per Statcast. Silver linings aside, it’s hard to hide from struggles of this magnitude. If Granderson lands back with the Marlins or with a new club, it seems likely that it’d be on another minor league pact with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.
If there’s one thing working in Granderson’s favor, it could be that the standard Major League roster size is set to expand from 25 players to 26 players, beginning next season. Big league clubs will have an additional roster spot at their disposal, and it’s not out of the question that the Marlins (or perhaps another rebuilding club) would want to take advantage of that by rostering a veteran of 16 Major League seasons to help mentor emerging big leaguers.
To that end, the Marlins’ decision to extend manager Don Mattingly can’t hurt Granderson’s chance of suiting up for a second season in South Beach. Mattingly gushed praise for the veteran outfielder and the influence he’s had on the Marlins’ young players, calling him “one of the keys” to the Marlins’ clubhouse. “He is willing to give these guys advice, help a guy grow up,” Mattingly said.
The Grandy man still can (kind of)
JD,
Your crazy he’s been washed up for awhile now. He’s hit worse in the NL. Time to hang it up he’s had a good career and made his money.
He hit well last year.
Not sure what his BABIP is, but I bet it is extremely low given that the stats provided are not all that bad aside from batting average, OBP and SLG. BABIP is a stat based on luck. Unfortunately, AVG, OBP and SLG are highly influenced by BABIP.
Love it but I don’t see him getting anything more than an invitation to spring training
A prince among men. He could probably find other employment outside baseball and earn nearly as much……
Seriously? Doing what?
I would be happy to have him back in Detroit. Player, coach, scout, you name it.
DET should sign him one season.
Agreed. Bring him home.
You know he’s from Chicago right?
You know he was drafted by DET and played his first 6 MLB seasons there, right?
he should be a special adviser in Detroit.
It’s nice that Grandy wants to keep rolling, but at this stage, he isn’t really worthy of playing time.
If he’s got so much value in the clubhouse, a Team needs to bring him in as an assistant or advisor. He doesn’t have value on the field.
Agreed. I can see the Marlins doing this with Grandy.
@Brad You’re suggesting the Marlins spend money. Blasphemy!!!
Mariners should sign him, have their opening game in Japan, and let him retire mid-game.
They should do this with a different player every season.
That only means something if the player is Japanese…..
I could see the orioles bringing him in.
Clubhouse leader, lots of youngsters to work with, and he’d be in a hitters park, in the AL where he could get some DH time.
If they wouldn’t bring back Adam Jones for “clubhouse presence” (which is a dumb term IMO) ZERO chance they bring someone in that’s never been an Oriole. As far as DH is concerned, they already have a DH that’s below the Mendoza line in C. Davis.
Jones can still play on a regular basis…
Jones is an older player that is still productive. He is not going to be a fit on a rebuilding team, but makes sense for a team like the dbacks trying to make the playoffs
C.J isn’t thru yet ,keep the faith and give him your support
Who doesn’t love Granderson? Been a noble warrior throughout his career, with class.
But the train has left the station. If he loves the game so much, lots of minor league teams could use his insights. Of course, he won’t make much……
Sierra, Ramirez, Dean, Puello, Brinson.Debuts of Harrison, Sanchez, maybe Mesa. Debut of L.Diaz would push Cooper to the OF. Too many OF’s in Miami that need regular playing time. Not to mention Granderson is awful now.