The stove is hot, and surprisingly enough, it was not the Braves who made the big signing. The Chicago White Sox agreed to terms of a 4-year, $73 million contract with catcher Yasmani Grandal. This contract is the largest in White Sox franchise history. The catcher market was starting to heat up, and the White Sox want to make some acquisitions this offseason, so they ultimately decided to get the ball rolling.
OFFICIAL: The #WhiteSox have agreed to terms on a four-year, $73-million contract with free agent All-Star catcher Yasmani Grandal (@YazmanianDVL08). Under terms of the agreement, Grandal will receive $18.25 million per year from 2020-2023. pic.twitter.com/dczzZo8UTE
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) November 21, 2019
In 2019, after signing with the Milwaukee Brewers after testing the markets, Grandal finished with a .246/.380/.468 slash, 28 home runs, and 77 RBI on the season. The catcher has emerged as one of the better ones in the game right now, and the White Sox want to make a push to get to the postseason sooner rather than later, and this move shows that readiness to compete. The White Sox also were able to bring back Jose Abreu with a qualifying offer, the emergence of Eloy Jiménez, and the steady development of Nick Madrigal makes for a great combination of talent ready to help the White Sox compete.
Since the White Sox already have James McCann, who was a 2019 All-Star Game nominee, it appears that Grandal will get some time behind the dish, at first base, and as a designated hitter. The market is still wide open, but one of the more prominent names of this offseason was just knocked off the board, and the catching position is much weaker without Grandal’s name on the board.
