Pittsburgh Pirates Sign Former All-Star Catcher to One-Year Deal

First off, it's a good move for Pittsburgh. The Pirates have said they want to be more competitive this season and they've gone out and made moves that reflect that. They've brought in veterans like Grandal, Martin Perez and Marco Gonzales to pair with a young core, and they'll get superstar shortstop Oneil Cruz back from injury this season. He missed nearly the full season last year with a broken ankle.

Grandal will serve as a veteran presence in the clubhouse and a mentor to young catcher Endy Rodriguez, who is out for the year himself with injury.

On the other side of the coin, this deal represents a steep fall for Grandal. The 35-year-old was just making $18.25 million a year on a deal with the White Sox and now needs to settle for just over $2 million.

He has spent 12 years in the big leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers and White Sox. Grandal is a two-time All-Star (2015, 2019) who has popped 25 homers or more in five different seasons.

However, his offense has cratered recently. He hit just five home runs in 2022 and hit just eight in 2023. He also has hit .202 and .234 in the last two years, respectively.

Pitchers and catchers report this week.