Could the Pirates sign former catcher again during the Super Bowl?

An underwhelming Pirates offseason is coming close to its end, with spring training starting next week for pitchers and catchers. Another sign that baseball is near is the Super Bowl, which was a significant day for the Pirates one year ago.

During the middle of the Super Bowl last year, the Pirates reached an agreement with free agent catcher Yasmani Grandal on a one-year contract worth $2.5 million. At the time, it made a lot of sense, given that though the expectations were high for Henry Davis, there was no guarantee that he could handle an everyday job. That question mark turned out true, as he regressed from his already below-average rookie season in every way.

The Pirates' wild card Grandal pickup looked good until he got hurt during spring training and did not start the season until May 4. The emergence of Joey Bart behind the plate made his return a little less exciting, and he joined Pittsburgh as a backup.

Grandal got off to a really poor start and many fans wanted him to be designated for assignment. He ended up playing just one or two games a week, primarily when Paul Skenes pitched, serving as the ace's personal catcher. Come the second half, he completed flipped his season around, finishing with a wRC+ of 95 and an fWAR of 1.4. He struck out at his lowest rate since 2013 at 18.9%.

He really found a groove in Pittsburgh and helped Skenes finish the season as the National League's Rookie of the Year. Skenes is already projected to win the Cy Young in 2025 and Grandal remains a free agent, so could history repeat itself with another Super Bowl signing? Who knows, but the Pirates should do it to add his bat to the roster.

Pirates should sign Yasmani Grandal during the Super Bowl for the second year in a row.

The catching group does look very strong already, but remains risky entering 2025, with Bart and Endy Rodriguez leading the group. Henry Davis is a massive question mark and Jason Delay has always had a decent glove, but his bat has never really been valuable.

Installing Bart as the starter is risky, as 2024 was his lone above-average season in his career, and Rodriguez is coming off a season of only a handful of at-bats in Triple-A following his elbow surgery. With all of that in mind, maybe adding Grandal is something Pittsburgh should do before it's too late.

The team's payroll still is not higher than last season's, sitting at around $82 million. Comments this offseason indicated that the team would increase its ledger from the year before, prior to Opening Day.

Grandal would be a safe and cheap investment to add, knowing that he is Skenes' personal catcher and that his bat can still come alive. Either way, he'd serve an immediate role in Pittsburgh. It was recently reported that he is gaining interest from at least three teams, so maybe the Pirates are one.

So today during the Super Bowl, don't be cheering on the Chiefs or Eagles. Cheer on the Pirates to sign a familiar face in Grandal!

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