San Francisco Giants 2018 Free Agency Preview: Five Catchers to Target

Yasmani Grandal

While Buster Posey leads all of baseball since 2014 with a 23.3 wins above replacement, Grandal is fifth at 10.5.

Grandal began his career in 2012 with the San Diego Padres and was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Matt Kemp trade.

In 2018, the seven-year veteran started 110 games at catcher for the Dodgers. His 3.3 WAR was actually higher than Posey’s.

His 24 home runs would be a welcome addition to the Giants.

Grandal may command a multi-year deal from someone, but the Giants may not want to offer more than one year to any veteran catcher.

He should earn a deal more than what Hundley has made the last two years, especially if he is brought in to replace Posey so he can move to first base.

After a strong 2018, Grandal struggled in the post-season, both at the plate and behind it. His costly errors and inability to drive in runs in key situations may have lowered his value on the open market.

That potential earning amount just skyrocketed since the World Series, however.

The Dodgers have reportedly offered Grandal a qualifying offer, which means he has 10 days to accept or reject the terms, either returning to Los Angeles or becoming a free agent.

At $17.9 million, it’s likely that if Grandal rejects the one year offer, he will be looking for more than that in free agency.

He may not ask for that much a year from other clubs, but it is unlikely he would ask for less total money.