Chicago White Sox sign Yasmani Grandal

MLB Rumors: The Chicago White Sox and free agent Yasmani Grandal have agreed to a 4 year, $73 million deal, per reports. Grandal, 31, took a one year deal, $18.25 million deal (including the buyout of the 2020 mutual option) with Milwaukee after rejecting the qualifying offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers last offseason. Grandal was betting that a strong season in 2019 and no longer having the qualifying offer attached to him would result in a stronger market for a long-term deal this offseason, and apparently he was right.

Grandal is a quality offensive catcher with good framing skills, though apparently some teams have questioned his game calling and pitcher handling abilities. Kiley McDaniel projected Grandal would get 4 years, $70 million in his free agent predictions at Fangraphs, and when we ran the free agent poll on Grandal, a majority of you said you’d be good with that.

I’m not sure what level of interest the Rangers had in Grandal, but he was the lone catcher on the free agent market who would qualify as an above-average starter.