Milwaukee Brewers: Yasmani Grandal deserves your team’s money

With so much great pitching available this winter, Milwaukee Brewers catcher Yasmani Grandal’s name might not warrant the biggest headlines, but it should.

The role of catcher has changed drastically in the game of baseball and there’s no greater example of what the modern catcher is not than Milwaukee Brewers catcher Yasmani Grandal.

You see, Grandal fits the mold of what was once a position held by steadfast staples like Johnny Bench, Gary Carter, Ivan Rodriguez and Mike Piazza who were part of the daily battery, today’s catcher is more likely to split time with one or two other players.

We went from 23 catchers having at least 400 batting appearances in 2015 to only seeing 15 catchers with the same amount of appearances in 2018.

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You might see this stat and think it’s no big deal that your team is splitting time at catcher, but let’s look at teams this year who had a catcher that started most games and amassed 400-plus at-bats.

Three of those teams (Houston, St. Louis and Milwaukee) were playoff teams. You can add playoff contenders the Indians, Phillies, and Mets to that list as well. Even the Yankees aren’t far behind as Gary Sanchez had 374 at-bats this season.

Sure, it might be crazy to link the number of catchers at-bats to how good a team is, but the facts don’t lie: good teams have solid catching positions.

They have guys who can create a relationship with pitchers and the rest of the clubhouse, guys who can frame a better game than others, and guys who can convert those potential runs to strikes. This off-season, that guy is none other than Yasmani Grandal for the teams looking for a solid backstop.

Grandal is a rare talent whose stats are comparable to the greats listed earlier and is a player who will go down as one of this generation’s best players. Grandal bet big on himself last winter by passing on a four-year, 60-million-dollar deal with the Mets, instead opting for the current one-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. Grandal did not disappoint, posting career highs across the board.

Not only did he put up great plate numbers, Grandal continued his noteworthy performance behind the plate in terms of calling a game. Yasmani Grandal truly deserves your team’s money. He took a risk that’s paid off by having his best single year proving that he is an elite backstop. The only question now is where he goes.

There are plenty of teams who could use help at catcher. The Milwaukee Brewers would love to have Grandal back. The only problem is the team’s payroll doesn’t match the size of the market they habitat. The Brew-Crew also must decide what to do with Mike Moustakas and other free-agents.

So what teams desperately need to improve their current catcher position? The Rangers come to mind as a team who could use a boost, the only problem is no one really knows if they are going to spend the money to be contenders or if their play is to rebuild the team from the ground up.

Meanwhile, MLB Network’s John Heyman reported that his original team the Cincinnati Reds will be all-in on trying to bring Grandal back. Tucker Barnhart is currently the Reds catcher, and a great defensive one at that. If the team is looking to get more offense out of the position, Grandal would fit the bill nicely.

With so much great pitching available this winter, Grandal’s name might not warrant the biggest headlines, but it should. One fortunate team is going to wind up with a phenomenal powerhouse player who will help them out in all aspects of the game, and without a doubt, he is worth every penny.