Call to the pen
Fansided

MLB Free Agency: Players who could rebuild their value with one-year deals

By Joey Brasch

DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 30: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals bats against the Colorado Rockies in the ninth inning of a game at Coors Field on September 30, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 30: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals bats against the Colorado Rockies in the ninth inning of a game at Coors Field on September 30, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /
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MLB free agency
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 27: Boston Red Sox third baseman Eduardo Nunez (36) is upended by Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal (9) in the thirteenth inning. The Los Angeles Dodgers host the Boston Red Sox in Game 3 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Oct. 26, 2018. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

Struggling on the biggest stage

It is not very clear how much MLB GMs care about playoff performance, but if they do, there probably isn’t anyone who hurt his stock as much as former Dodgers’ catcher Yasmani Grandal.

On the surface, Grandal is one of baseball’s most valuable assets. In his career, he is a 17 percent better than average on offense based on wRC+, which is especially valuable for a player at the offensively-barren position of catcher. On top of that, Grandal is among the best pitcher-framers in baseball, as Baseball Prospectus has rated him 136.8 runs-above-average in his young career.

A catcher with well above-average skills in offense and defense would seem to be a $100 million player, but MLB Trade Rumors only projects him to make $64 million over four years. Part of that may be due to his performance in the playoffs, when Grandal got a ton of bad press for his poor defense.

There is certainly more to defense than pitch framing, so teams may have legitimate gripes about Grandal’s defense, but it does still seem like he’s overlooked despite being one of the most valuable players in the game. If Grandal can sign a one-year deal, it’s possible that he can improve his stock and get a larger contract next season.

Nevertheless, Grandal is entering his age-30 season, so he might want to cash in now before he begins his decline, and it’s also worth noting that Grandal turned down the $17.9 million qualifying offer from the Dodgers. Still, he is the kind of player who could greatly improve his value after a one-year deal for 2019.

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