PITTSBURGH — According to an AP source, the Pittsburgh Pirates are adding two-time All-Star catcher Yasmani Grandal.
The club and the 35-year-old Grandal have agreed to terms on a one-year contract worth $2.5 million. The deal is pending Grandal passing a physical.
Pittsburgh is searching for depth at catcher with Endy Rodríguez — who started 57 games in 2023 as a rookie — ruled out for 2024 after Tommy John surgery in December. He got injured while playing winter ball in his native Dominican Republic.
Grandal would join a catching situation that includes former No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis, Jason Delay and Ali Sánchez. Grandal is a career .237 hitter while playing for four teams across 12 seasons, including the last four years with the Chicago White Sox. Grandal hit .234 with eight home runs and 33 RBIs in 118 games with the White Sox in 2023.
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Grandal provided power at the plate during his prime. He's topped 20 home runs in a season five times, most recently with Chicago in 2021. He made a pair of All-Star teams earlier in his career, first in 2015 while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers and again in 2019 while with the Milwaukee Brewers.
On Monday, the Pirates announced minor league contract with a trio of pitchers — Wily Peralta, Connor Sadzeck and Brent Honeywell — in search of depth.
The 34-year-old Peralta is 56-61 with 16 saves and a 4.29 ERA in 258 games across 10 seasons in the majors, most recently with Detroit in 2022. The right-hander — who has bounced from the starting rotation to the bullpen — spent 2023 with Washington's Triple-A affiliate, going 3-8 with a 6.31 ERA in 24 starts.
Sadzeck, 32, is 0-1 with a 2.75 ERA and one save in 35 games between Texas, Seattle and Milwaukee, last pitching in the majors with the Brewers in 2022.
Honeywell, a 28-year-old right-hander, is 2-4 with a 5.08 ERA in 43 appearances with Tampa Bay, San Diego and the Chicago White Sox.
St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol is restrained by umpire Jeff Nelson, center, while talking to C.B. Bucknor, left, during a 2022 game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix.
BRIEFLY
RETIRING: Jeff Nelson and Ed Hickox are retiring as umpires and have been replaced on the major league staff by Ryan Wills and Clint Vondrak. The 58-year-old Nelson made his big league debut in 1997 and was added to the NL staff two years later. The 61-year-old Hickox umpired for 19 big league seasons. Wills and Vondrak have been fill-in big league umpires since 2020. Chris Guccione was promoted to a crew chief, filling the vacancy created by Nelson’s retirement.
DODGERS: Clayton Kershaw can make up to $37.5 million over two seasons as part of his new contract with Los Angeles, getting the full amount depending on how many starts he makes following shoulder surgery. A three-time NL Cy Young Award winner who turns 36 on March 19, Kershaw is guaranteed $10 million.
METS: New York is unlikely to sign Pete Alonso to a long term deal before the star first baseman is eligible for free agency after the World Series. New Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said free agency is “probably the most likely outcome.” A three-time All-Star, Alonso hit a career-low .217 last year with 46 homers and 118 RBIs.
PADRES: According to multiple AP sources, Jurickson Profar has agreed to a $1-million, one-year deal with San Diego. The 30-year-old outfielder has a chance to make another $1.5 million in incentives based on plate appearances. Profar is currently in Curaçao working to obtain a visa.
TRADE: The Miami Marlins acquired utilityman Nick Gordon from the Minnesota Twins on Sunday for left-handed reliever Steven Okert. Gordon, a 28-year-old outfielder, second baseman and shortstop, hit .185 last season with two homers and seven RBIs in 34 games. Okert was 3-2 with a 4.45 ERA in 64 relief appearances last year.