Dodgers to Extend Qualifying Offer to Yasmani Grandal

The Dodgers will extend a qualifying offer to catcher Yasmani Grandal ahead of the deadline today. The qualifying offer set by the newest collective bargaining agreement is set at $17.9 million, which many expect Grandal to turn down in search of a large contract.

#Dodgers’ rationale for giving Grandal qualifying offer is that he would help bridge the gap to their two top catching prospects, Will Smith and Keibert Ruiz. Expectation is team will give Ryu a qualifying offer as well. Grandal offer first reported by @Joelsherman1.

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— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 2, 2018

The reality is that plenty of teams will be in search of help behind the plate during the offseason. While many will be looking at JT Realmuto, Grandal was no slouch himself during the regular season. In 2018, Grandal slashed .241/.349/.466 and hit 24 home runs while driving in 68. He also caught 28% of would-be base stealers., which isn’t fantastic by any means. But Grandal provides some pop and consistency behind the plate.

Over the last four years as a member of the Dodgers, Grandal has played 510 games and racked up 1623 at-bats. He has slugged 89 home runs and driven in 245 in that time. He has also logged over 3800 innings behind the plate, averaging close to 1000 every season.

Of course, none of that really matters in the minds of Dodgers fans. Grandal had one of the most brutal meltdowns in playoff history in 2018. He hit 138 with only four hits and seemed to forget how to catch a ball entirely. Regardless, Grandal is sure to garner some pretty decent money in free agency should he turn down the QO from Los Angeles. The Angels, Giants and Rockies could all be in on the bidding war for him.

A reminder: only players who have never received a qualifying offer in their career and have spent the entire season on the team’s roster are eligible to receive the QO. In-season acquisitions are not eligible.

Follow me on Twitter all Offseason long for the latest news, rumors, and shenanigans with Dodgers Nation! –Brook Smith