The White Sox will reportedly “give away” catcher Yasmani Grandal before Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
“The Chicago White Sox are telling teams that ace Dylan Cease and left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer are off limits, but they would be willing to trade reliever Keynan Middleton.
“They would listen for offers for shortstop Tim Anderson and will give away catcher Yasmani Grandal.”
via Bob Nightengale/USA Today
This update by the MLB columnist comes on the heels of The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal’s report, which suggests the front office is listening to offers on their entire roster, including starting pitcher Dylan Cease. Though no trade involving Grandal appears imminent at this point, Nightengale’s comment suggests it wouldn’t take much for a potential suitor to take the veteran catcher off the White Sox’s hands.
Grandal, 34, is hitting .251/.317/.382 (69-for-275) with eight home runs, 29 RBI, a 94 wRC+, and .699 OPS on the season. After once being ranked as one of the best defensive catchers in baseball, he now falls in the bottom first percentile in pop time and in the 39th percentile in pitch framing. Grandal is also in the final year of his four-year, $73 million deal, making a move all the more likely if the right opportunity presents itself.
The White Sox’s apparent willingness to ship out Grandal is likely due to a few reasons, one of them including the recent acquisition of catching prospect Korey Lee from Houston. The trade now brings the total number of catchers on the 40-man roster to four, meaning something has to give eventually, especially with the recently promoted Adam Hackenberg deserving of regular playing time in Charlotte.
Given that Grandal is highly unlikely to re-sign with the organization and the season is lost, there’s no better time than now to start giving Lee some action behind the dish once he is activated off the injured list. MLB.com’s Scott Merkin first reported that Lee will join Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday, meaning his debut on the South Side could come at some point in mid-to-late August.
We will continue to monitor what is sure to be a fluid situation over the next 24 hours. For additional updates,
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