Yasmani Grandal signs with Brewers - 1 year, $16 million. Mutual option for 2020.

[adambr2]

FWIW, the Brewers removes the Facebook post announcing this signing.

 

My guess is that it's still pending a physical and they felt it would be best to hold off until that's complete.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Those expecting a big finale after this move might be disappointed. Not saying for sure that other big moves won’t happen but we have to be right at the end of our beginning of the season budget. Hopefully we can get someone to take Thames to free up space but there can’t be much room now.

 

I'd call this a well thought-out educated guess, but it's still a guess. No one thought we had the cash to sign Grandal to an $18+ million deal, yet here we are. I think Stearns and the Brewers are all about value, and if another big name presents value, I doubt they are going to let an arbitrary budget cap get in the way.

 

I guess we could look at this as a reallocation of the $10 million that would have gone to Schoop, and the $2+ million each that would have gone to Lyles, Vogt, Cedeno and Jennings.

[Mr Southpaw]

Maybe sitting on the bench during the playoffs he heard the excitement and came to an understanding what it would be like to play in MKE.

[adambr2]

Those expecting a big finale after this move might be disappointed. Not saying for sure that other big moves won’t happen but we have to be right at the end of our beginning of the season budget. Hopefully we can get someone to take Thames to free up space but there can’t be much room now.

 

I'd call this a well thought-out educated guess, but it's still a guess. No one thought we had the cash to sign Grandal to an $18+ million deal, yet here we are. I think Stearns and the Brewers are all about value, and if another big name presents value, I doubt they are going to let an arbitrary budget cap get in the way.

 

I guess we could look at this as a reallocation of the $10 million that would have gone to Schoop, and the $2+ million each that would have gone to Lyles, Vogt, Cedeno and Jennings.

 

Yeah ultimately we don't really know what Mark A's spending cap is. He may be done, or he may be willing to operate closer to a break even point for one season for the investment in possibly bringing a World Series to Milwaukee.

 

My guess is he's more comfortable overspending a bit as long as it's short-term. That's the beauty of the 1 year deal.

 

I'm sure that if he likes Jed Lowrie at 1 year/$12M and Bumgarner at the same 1/12, he could do both. Would he, I don't know, but could he, yes.

[Patrick425]

There's a difference between not getting a $300 million contract, and a 30-year-old catcher with Grandal's pedigree having to settle for a one-year guarantee, which seems crazy.

 

Everyone involved with MLB (except the minor leaguers) is making an immoral amount of money, but the question is why the lion's share of that is going to the owners who do absolutely nothing to generate the revenue.

 

 

A) There is no proof that everyone in MLB is making an "immoral" amount of money. B) Owners in any business own the business for the purpose of making money. If you own the business, you take on the risk and you make the rules. You should make the "lion's share" of the money. C) If you believe that there is zero risk and that owning a MLB ball club is a sure way to get filthy rich then whenever a team goes up for sale anyone with any money should be making a bid - Gates, Bezos, Buffet, Dimon, all of them. The fact is, nothing is a sure thing, there is always risk when investing in something. The players take on zero risk. All of their contracts are guaranteed. If you want a solution, get rid of the guaranteed contracts.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I distinctly remember that someone posted in the IGT during one of those NLCS games that Grandal was playing his way into the Brewers' price range. That ended up being a pretty ironic joke. Still, it will be nice having Pina as a battle-tested veteran should Grandal develop the yips again.

[jjfanec]

Went into this offseason hoping for a catcher, 2b, one starting pitcher, and a lefty reliever. 2 of 4 so far. I guess they did sign a 2b but not super excited by Spangenberg. I can see not adding a starting pitcher if they think Nelson is healthy or Anderson/Davies will rebound. Another starter could allow Woodruff to go to the bullpen and then start as needed.

[Eye Black]

Grandal’s spray chart overlayed at Miller Park (per this Tweet).

 

 

 

Also a comparison between Yasmani Grandal and the Brewers catchers in 2018 (per this Tweet):

 

Grandal '18: 518 PA / 24 HR / .225 ISO / .352 wOBA / 125 wRC+ / 9.0 Def

Brewers C '18: 651 PA / 16 HR / .125 ISO / .286 wOBA / 75 wRC+ / 14.5 Def

[Jose Cardenal1]

Well regarding team salary the Brewers are saving some money by not having a 3rd round pick and earlier trading the comp. pick they had.

[Mr Southpaw]

Cots just posted $18,250,000/1 year.

[adambr2]

Hopefully we are going to have a pretty active with international prospects next season because we are only going to have 1 pick in the first 133 selections. (Not saying anything bad about this deal though)

[KeithStone53151]

Is there any chance pina could be on the move with this signing?

[PeaveyFury]

Hopefully we are going to have a pretty active with international prospects next season because we are only going to have 1 pick in the first 133 selections. (Not saying anything bad about this deal though)

 

Don't they still have their 1st and 2nd, or did I miss something?

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Hopefully we are going to have a pretty active with international prospects next season because we are only going to have 1 pick in the first 133 selections. (Not saying anything bad about this deal though)

 

Don't they still have their 1st and 2nd, or did I miss something?

 

Yes, they have picks #28 and #66, then jump to #134.

[adambr2]

Is there any chance pina could be on the move with this signing?

 

The natural inclination is to think that Kratz is the odd man out, but we've seen how much they like him.

 

Pina has some potential trade value. If they really believe in Nottingham, I could see Pina getting dealt before the season, Kratz staying as backup and Nottingham as insurance in AAA. Grandal is going to get the lion's share of starts no matter who is the backup.

[PeaveyFury]

IIRC, Kratz had a split deal, so it would be logical for depth to have him break camp at AAA. I'd be stunned if this was done with the intention of moving Pina for a Grandal/Kratz combo.

[adambr2]

Hopefully we are going to have a pretty active with international prospects next season because we are only going to have 1 pick in the first 133 selections. (Not saying anything bad about this deal though)

 

Don't they still have their 1st and 2nd, or did I miss something?

 

Yes, they have picks #28 and #66, then jump to #134.

 

I messed up the numbers, but I thought they had to forfeit their 3rd highest pick, not necessarily their 3rd round pick. Our 3rd highest pick prior to the Claudio deal was our 2nd rounder at #66, so I would think that's the one we lose, not our 3rd rounder (#104).

[PeaveyFury]

Tom H. suggests here that it is their third that they'll give up:

 

https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2019/01/09/brewers-agree-18-25-million-deal-catcher-yasmani-grandal/2533859002/

[clancyphile]

IIRC, Kratz had a split deal, so it would be logical for depth to have him break camp at AAA. I'd be stunned if this was done with the intention of moving Pina for a Grandal/Kratz combo.

 

Kratz could be a good mentor to Nottingham...

 

This is an exciting deal.

 

Who knows? Maybe Grandal likes Milwaukee, likes being on a winning club, and decides to stick around.

[adambr2]

IIRC, Kratz had a split deal, so it would be logical for depth to have him break camp at AAA. I'd be stunned if this was done with the intention of moving Pina for a Grandal/Kratz combo.

 

I can't find anything on Kratz's contract saying it's a split contract. I don't think it is. He is also out of options, not sure if he's ever been outrighted.

[PeaveyFury]

Who knows? Maybe Grandal likes Milwaukee, likes being on a winning club, and decides to stick around.

 

I'd have said no way a year ago, but considering that Moose reportedly is looking at contract to stick around, who knows? I'd think the Brewers would have a lot of interest if the terms stay relatively short.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Manny Pina is a perfect fit as a backup catcher in a 70/30-style timeshare. If Pina gets one one of his hot stretches, Grandal can even grab a few starts at 1B here and there. Not only does this move make the Brewers' starting lineup better, it has a huge impact on the team's depth. Pina goes from being an average MLB starting catcher to possible the best backup catcher in the league. Kratz goes from catching 80 games at the MLB level to serving as an on-field coach and mentor at AAA, and as a solid "in case of emergency" option. Nottingham goes from one Pina injury away from being a starting MLB catcher on a World Series contender, to a developmental guy who the team can bring along slowly, and will be given the chance to prove that his Colorado Springs offensive jump wasn't a fluke.

[adambr2]

Tom H. suggests here that it is their third that they'll give up:

 

https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2019/01/09/brewers-agree-18-25-million-deal-catcher-yasmani-grandal/2533859002/

 

Interesting, so if I'm understanding this correctly, if they had signed Grandal before trading for Claudio, they would have lost pick #66, but since they had already traded #39 for Claudio, it becomes the later pick. Surprised it works that way.

[PeaveyFury]

IIRC, Kratz had a split deal, so it would be logical for depth to have him break camp at AAA. I'd be stunned if this was done with the intention of moving Pina for a Grandal/Kratz combo.

 

I can't find anything on Kratz's contract saying it's a split contract. I don't think it is. He is also out of options, not sure if he's ever been outrighted.

 

Good point... I looked back and the bulk of the money is only guaranteed if he's on the ML roster, so I assumed that there was a roster loophole that they could use there, but I may have been mistaken.

[MillerParkSouth]

Wouldn’t have minded him for 2-3 years but this is incredible. I think it shows how broken the financial system is in MLB when the best player at an incredibly thin position has to settle for a 1 year deal, but I love that we signed him.