Dodgers Rumors: LA Isn't Planning for Yasmani Grandal to Return Due to Prospects

The Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly "proceeding with their offseason catching plans" under the assumption free-agent catcher Yasmani Grandal won't re-sign for the 2019 MLB season.

Jon Paul Morosi of MLB.com provided the update Friday and noted two of L.A.'s top prospects, Keibert Ruiz and Will Smith, could emerge as replacement options heading into next year.

Grandal posted a .241/.349/.466 triple-slash line with 24 home runs in 140 games for the Dodgers this past season. His 3.6 Wins Above Replacement ranked second among catchers behind only the Miami Marlins' J.T. Realmuto (4.8 WAR), per FanGraphs.

Although he was a stalwart for Los Angeles during the regular season, some defensive miscues led to him getting benched during the playoffs.

"I don't really hear the noise outside," he told reporters after getting booed by Dodgers fans for his mistakes early in the NLCS.

Grandal, who declined his one-year qualifying offer from the Dodgers on Monday, has generated interest from the Houston Astros and New York Mets, per Morosi.

The Astros will be looking to replace the tandem of Brian McCann and Martin Maldonado during the offseason. The Mets ranked 22nd in OPS from their catchers in 2018, according to ESPN.com.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles features Austin Barnes, who replaced Grandal during the NLCS, as well as Ruiz and Smith as in-house options to compete for the catcher spot in spring training if they don't dip into the free-agent market to fill the void.