A former Pittsburgh Pirates catcher signed with the Red Sox.
A former Pittsburgh Pirates catcher has signed with another MLB team, giving him a chance to play again in 2025.
The Boston Red Sox signed catcher Yasmani Grandal to a minor league contract, according to Robert Murray of FanSided.
Grandal was born in Havana, Cuba and played in the infield, shortstop and second base, on the Cuba junior national team.
He would emigrate to the United States at 10 years old in July 1999 with his mother, stepfather and maternal grandparents, making it to the country via the lottery system and eventually earned citizenship five years late in 2004.
Grandal starred at Miami Springs High School in Miami Springs, Fla., excelling defensively and receiving hype going into the 2007 MLB Draft. The Red Sox selected Grandal in the 27th round, but he didn’t care for their offer, so instead chose to play college baseball at Miami.
He had a sensational junior season in 2010 for the Hurricanes, hitting .401 with 15 home runs, 60 RBIs and a .527 on-base percentage in 62 games, earning ACC Player of the Year honors.
The Cincinnati Reds took Grandal No. 12 overall in the 2010 MLB Draft, and he would sign a four-year, $3.2 million contract.
Grandal would head to the San Diego Padres on Dec. 17, 2011, as one of four players in trade that saw right-handed pitcher Mat Latos go to Cincinnati.
He would make his MLB debut on June 2, 2012 and played in 216 games over three seasons for the Padres, slashing .245/.350/.412 for an OPS of .763, with 161 hits, 34 doubles, two triples, 24 home runs, 94 RBIs and 107 walks to 172 strikeouts.
The Padres traded Grandal to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Dec. 18, 2014 and he spent four seasons with the franchise, earning an All-Star nod in 2015. He slashed .238/.337/.453 for an OPS of .790, with 386 hits, 76 doubles, three triples, 89 home runs, 245 RBIs and 241 walks.
Grandal would sign with the Milwaukee Brewers for the 2019 season for $18.25 million. He slashed .246/.380/.468 for an OPS of .848, with a career-high 126 hits, 26 doubles, two triples, 28 home runs, 77 RBIs and 109 walks to 139 strikeouts in 153 games, earning his second All-Star nod.
He then signed a four-year, $73 million contract with the Chicago White Sox in the offseason. He played 356 games for the franchise, slashing .226/.343/.375 for an OPS of .718, with 255 hits, 37 doubles, 44 home runs, 149 RBIs and 198 walks to 305 strikeouts.
Grandal signed with the Pirates for the 2024 season and played in 72 games. He slashed .228/.304/.400 for an OPS of .704, with 49 hits, 10 doubles, nine home runs, 27 RBIs and 24 walks to 46 strikeouts.
