Red Sox sign former All-Star catcher to minor league deal that includes an opt-out
The Red Sox are in need of catching help after Connor Wong broke his pinky finger on Monday.
Boston signed veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal to a minor league deal Thursday, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray.
Grandal is expected to report to Triple-A Worcester as he ramps up before potentially joining the Red Sox. According to MassLive's Sean McAdam, a promotion to the 26-man roster will earn the 36-year-old a base salary of $1.35 million. The Sox must decide his roster status due to the deal's opt-out clause.
McAdam reports that Grandal’s deal includes a May 1 opt-out, meaning he can become a free agent again if he’s not in the majors by then. That’ll give the Red Sox a three-week window to evaluate whether he’s ready to contribute on the 26-man roster.
Wong broke his pinky finger on Monday night and is expected to be out for at least a month. With their starting catcher out, Carlos Narvaez will assume the majority of the catching duties, with Blake Sabol serving as his backup.
Grandal was with the Pirates last season, where he batted just .228 with nine home runs and 27 RBI over 72 games. He’s always been a strong defender behind the plate, including an above-average framer. Grandal finished eighth on both the FanGraphs and Statcast framing leaderboards last year.
At one point, Grandal was one of the game’s better power-hitting catchers; from 2016 to 2019, he belted at least 22 homers each season. Grandal launched 23 home runs in ‘21, but his production tailed off the last three years.
Grandal could replace Narvaez, who had only six career games before this season, if the Sox can get him game-ready. Boston could go with Wong and Grandal as their tandem and send Narvaez to Worcester to give him regular at-bats.
The current view of the 2025 season by one Red Sox fan!
Two weeks ago today the season started with enthusiasm and promise that is part of baseball every spring. Now, with the benefit of looking at the game play over the same period, I have some observations and a list of issues that this team must deal with in the next few weeks. Let’s look at the issues that confront our favorite baseball team.