Yasmani Grandal informed the Red Sox’s Triple-A team that he is stepping away from his minor league deal. Grandal did not officially announce his retirement, but it appears he’s leaning that way.
“At the moment, it looks like he’s probably going to walk away and potentially hang them up,” Triple-A manager Chad Tracy told MassLive’s Katie Morrison-O’Day on Tuesday. “We talked (Monday), and I knew he was going to pack up and go…his response was ‘it’s time to be dad.’” The Sox technically placed him on the restricted list, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Francys Romero confirms that Grandal does not intend to return to the Boston organization.
Grandal signed a minor league deal with the Sox in mid-April. He bypassed a contractual opt-out on May 1 and ultimately appeared in 23 games for Worcester. While he posted a decent .256/.372/.397 batting line, the Sox have a more locked-in catching duo than they did at the time he signed. Connor Wong had just broken his finger. Carlos Narváez was playing in front of Blake Sabol. Wong returned on May 2, while Narváez has impressed enough to take over as the primary catcher. Sabol was recently designated for assignment, so Grandal would probably have been the first one up in the event of an injury, but that was his only real path to the big leagues.
If this is the end of his playing days, he’ll walk away as one of the more productive catchers of his generation. Grandal was a two-time All-Star who twice received down-ballot MVP votes. He has spent parts of 13 seasons in the big leagues. A first-round pick by the Reds in 2010, he was dealt to San Diego as a prospect in a blockbuster deal for Mat Latos. Grandal played parts of three seasons with the Padres before he was packaged in another significant trade, moving to the Dodgers alongside then-prospect Zach Eflin for Matt Kemp.
Grandal arguably did his best work in a Dodger uniform. He hit .238/.337/.453 while grading as an elite pitch framer over four seasons. He played one All-Star season with the Brewers before joining the White Sox on a four-year, $73MM free agent deal. The contract didn’t end well, but he posted a career-best .420 on-base percentage over 93 games in 2021. His most recent (and potentially final) MLB work came with the Pirates last season, when he hit .228/.304/.400 across 72 contests as the veteran in a catching group that also included Joey Bart and Henry Davis.
Career earnings in excess of 114 million.
Yeah man go live your life.
End of the road for Mr. Passed Ball.
Thank you for your negativity. It’s exactly what everyone wanted at this time.
/s
100 passed balls in 13 seasons for an average of fewer than 8 per season. Defensive maestro Russell Martin had 19 in 2015 alone. This seems like a pointless and incorrect jab.
Pointing out an outlier like Martin’s 2015 seems like a pointless jab, when looking at his career behind the plate. Martin had 85 in over 13400 innings while Grandal had 100 in over 9600 innings.
Not saying that’s a good indicator stat for catcher ability, but if anything that 19 pb year emphasizes martins defensive ability.
Dooper- Massive reach to suggest my comment about Martin had any kind of negative intent since I specifically refer to him as a “defensive maestro” right there in the same sentence. I very obviously did that to show that even top-tier defensive catchers can give up passed balls, so an average of fewer than 8 a season isn’t bad.
So yeah, using an outlier season (the 4th most passed balls ever in a season) was done with intent and my description of Martin as a defensive whiz was also done with intent. Trying to spin a very obvious meaning into your own narrative where someone clowned on Grandal in a retirement post is goofy as hell.
Grandal was pretty stiff behind the plate while with the pale hose. Wild pitches go up when a Catcher can’t handle balls in the dirt.
@myaccount. Apologies. Misunderstood your comment. I thought you were being facetious when it came to Russell Martin. You are looking way too much into my comment, I’ve just never seen the word “maestro” not used sarcastically.
Russ Martin had to catch RA Dickey in 2015
Having to catch a knuckleballer earns bonus points.
The comment was definitely not intended to hate on Russell Martin (hence why I refer to him as a defensive whiz and clearly highlight an outlier season of the 4th most passed balls in MLB history) and I only do that to show Grandal’s ~7.5 per season does not warrant being referred to as Mr. Passed Ball. Having to catch Dickey didn’t help, I’m sure, and I do remember Martin getting outwardly frustrated. Some of those passed balls could’ve been wild pitches, too.
Probably wasn’t the greatest example, but the point is even great defensive catchers give up a few passed balls.
Exactly….Varitek as great as he was could NOT catch Wakefield to save his life. Martin deserves respect for how he handled RA Dickey.
Sometimes there is another opportunity elsewhere. Would not be surprised that he ends up elsewhere playing on non US soil.
Triple-A manager Chad Tracy told MassLive’s Katie Morrison-O’Day on Tuesday. “We talked (Monday), and I knew he was going to pack up and go…his response was ‘it’s time to be dad.’” ???
You’re wondering why someone would question a report from MLBTR, based on a report from another writer, who asked the manager what another guy was thinking? We’re now 4 people down the line, of which none of them actually know what Grandal is thinking for sure. I’d say there’s obvious reason to speculate on possibilities that aren’t specifically mentioned.
It still gives more specific indication on grandal’s plans than some rando on the internet speculating based on absolutely nothing lol
It’s pretty rare to see foreign catchers playing in Asia, so unless he’s going to the Mexican League it seems unlikely.
He could have played first base.
Thank you, Yasmani for turning into prime Mike Piazza during the second half of last year for some reason.
Great player! Wish him nothing but the very best!
Congrats on the career.
great career, thank you Yasmani! 👏👏
I was really surprised when the Dodgers didn’t extend him, but I think that was more a function of the up and coming Will Smith. Loved watching him and Adrian Gonzalez circle the bases for a few years. Padres were kicking themselves for letting Grandal get away to a division rival no less.
He says he is ready to join the Hall of Very Good.
.236 career hitter with fewer than 1,000 hits. Your definition of very good is interesting.
I’m just referring to an instagram page I follow where the guy spotlights players like this: journeyman types who were ok in a few seasons, under 35 WAR. And likes to shout out totally random guys.
A good career. Best of luck in the next one.
Wish him well. He was fan and media friendly as a vet, and really assumed the role of a clubhouse leader- unfortunately he couldn’t stay healthy. That ’21 season with his .940 OPS was pretty epic, and then he had a stretch of couple of weeks in ’23 where he tried to carry a bad club. Also a great story of how he coached up a Miami high school kid when he was already in the show and would return to his alma mater the U for off-season workouts. They later became teammates
Whatever happened to Mat Latos?? He must have been a one hit wonder on a team not in my league that year, because he doesn’t leave an impression.
I guess you’re just Latos intolerant ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Buster Posey broke him in the 2012 NLDS.
Pretty good career and he got his bag. His White Sox tenure had ups and downs but his bat was at least solid for the lone playoff appearance we got in 2021. Best of luck Yas!
Solid if unspectacular career, kind of turned into a pumpkin after getting the 4 year deal with the Chi Sox. Narvaez has come out of nowhere and has been a really good addition for the Sox so everyday at AAA meant less chance of a MLB return. I’m sure his agent tried to find an MLB opportunity but couldn’t.
Congrats on a solidify career Yasmani
Many fans have stepped away from the Roid Sox this year!!!