Yasmani Grandal, White Sox Agree to Team-Record 4-Year, $73M Contract

The Chicago White Sox and free-agent catcher Yasmani Grandal reached an agreement Thursday on a four-year, $73 million contract.  

Chicago confirmed the deal after ESPN's Jeff Passan reported the details of the pact, which sets a new franchise record for total money.

Passan later spoke to White Sox vice president Ken Williams, who spoke on how Grandal's signing ties into the team's long-term plans:

Grandal hit the open market at an ideal time after putting together a career-best season with the Milwaukee Brewers. He posted career-high totals in home runs (28), runs batted in (77), runs scored (79), walks (109) and even stolen bases (five) in 2019.

The 31-year-old Cuba native also finished with his best OPS (.848) since his rookie season with the San Diego Padres in 2012, when he played just 60 games.

In September, the two-time All-Star said he felt his impact was positive throughout the campaign, even though 19 of his 28 homers came before the Midsummer Classic.

"I feel like I've been pretty locked in at least 75 percent of the season," Grandal told reporters. "Obviously, I haven't slugged as much as I would have liked to, especially since the beginning of the second half. When we're talking about feeling locked in, it's also being on base. For me, I value being on base a lot. As long as I'm on base and give my team a chance to win the game, that's it. That's all I care about."

In all, the University of Miami product has posted a .241/.348/.446 triple-slash line with 141 home runs in 879 appearances across eight seasons with the Padres, Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Grandal has also been one of the best defenders at the position (64 career DRS, per FanGraphs) and tied for second in runs saved via pitch framing in 2019 (13, per Baseball Savant).

There are always risks associated with signing a player who's coming off his best season, especially a primary catcher in his 30s. But even if his numbers at the plate dip a little for the White Sox, he'll still be a productive player at a weak offensive position with positive contributions defensively.

Grandal will likely slot in behind Tim Anderson, Jose Abreu and Yoan Moncada in the Chicago lineup.