Two days after they placed their primary catcher on the injured list, the Boston Red Sox hit the free agent market for reinforcements.
The Red Sox and veteran backstop Yasmani Grandal have agreed to a minor-league deal, according to MLB insider Robert Murray of FanSided. Grandal joins Boston's short list of backup catchers in the wake of Connor Wong's finger fracture.
Grandal, 36, has appeared for five big-league teams over his 13-year career. He spent the 2024 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and batted .228/.304/.400 with nine homers over 72 games. Grandal clocked two blocks above average and ranked in the 86th percentile in framing ability last year, according to Baseball Savant.
Grandal has earned two All-Star appearances in his career thus far, one with the Dodgers in 2015 and the other with the Brewers four years later. The switch-hitter posted a .234/.353/.403 slash line and appeared in 107 games behind the plate with a .997 fielding percentage. In 2019, he led all catchers with 137 games played with a .993 fielding percentage. He batted .246/.380/.468 with 28 home runs.
Red Sox sign two-time All-Star catcher Yasmani Grandal to minor-league deal after Connor Wong sent to IL
Free-agent catcher Yasmani Grandal and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a minor-league contract, sources say. Grandal was with the Pittsburgh Pirates last season.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) April 10, 2025
Catching depth was one of the biggest concerns around the Red Sox after their offseason additions. They traded top catching prospect and likely catcher of the future Kyle Teel to the White Sox for Garrett Crochet, and they quickly had to gather some backup plans. Boston acquired Carlos Narváez, its current catcher No. 1, Blake Sabol and Seby Zavala as depth options over the offseason, and the Sox had to dip into their backups sooner than they hoped.
Narváez, a former Yankees prospect, has started off well with the Red Sox. He's batting .240/.345/.360 with three doubles, six strikeouts, four walks and four RBI in his first eight games. He's probably the Sox's best defender behind the dish — he ranks in the 96th percentile in blocks above average and the 74th percentile in framing. He only had six games of MLB experience with the Yankees in 2024, though, and Boston signed Grandal as a more experienced option.
Grandal has been a free agent since the offseason, and he even rejected a contract offer from the Braves nearly two months ago. He'll start his Red Sox tenure with Triple-A Worcester, and it will be interesting to see how long Boston waits to call him up.