The Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a one-year contract with veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal, sources told Alex Stumpf of MLB.com.
The contract is worth $2.5 million in guaranteed money and also includes additional incentive clauses, a source told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Grandal hit .234/.309/.339 with eight home runs and 33 RBIs in 118 games for the Chicago White Sox last year. While that slash line marked a slight improvement from 2022, it still came in well below his career standards, continuing a downward offensive trend. The 35-year-old also struggled defensively, tallying minus-11 defensive runs saved behind the plate.
In Pittsburgh, Grandal will likely share time with, and act as a mentor to, former first overall pick Henry Davis, the Pirates' catcher of the future. The switch-hitter can also step in at first base or designated hitter as needed to give Rowdy Tellez or Andrew McCutchen a rest day.
Grandal is a lifetime .237/.347/.426 hitter with 185 home runs and 565 RBIs across 1,235 games with four teams. The native of Havana, Cuba is a two-time All-Star and averaged 25 homers a season during a four-year span from 2016-2019.
