Curtis Granderson is hardly alone as a veteran free agent about whom there have been very few rumors this winter, but Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets that Granderson “fully intends to play another year.”
It’s been a year to the date since Granderson, 38 in March, agreed to a one-year contract with the Blue Jays that guaranteed him $5MM for the 2018 season. While he’s not the premier outfielder he once was, the Grandy Man remained a solid weapon against right-handed pitchers in 2018, hitting at a .247/.355/.444 clip in 375 plate appearances while holding the platoon advantage. Granderson connected on 13 homers, 20 doubles and a pair of triples in that time. Granderson’s defense has become a growing question mark, as he checked in at -5 Defensive Runs Saved, a -4.5 Ultimate Zone Rating and -6 Outs Above Average in just 607 2/3 innings of corner outfield work last season between the Jays and the Brewers.
At this point of his career, Granderson’s on-base abilities and pop against right-handed opponents is his primary appeal to clubs, though the 15-year MLB veteran is also revered for his leadership and clubhouse presence as well. It’s unlikely that he’d command a raise from last year’s $5MM salary, making him a potential fit for any club looking to add some part-time outfield help to the mix between now and Opening Day.
Since Harper is out for the Yankees why not give The Grandy Man a flyer? Platoon only as a lefty back at Yankee Stadium.
i think if they wanted to bring in a low cost LF they are better off with Markakis. he’s younger and could be a great fit for YS and would be a great compliment to our righty hitting high k lineup.
Markakis doesn’t have enough Ks for the Yankees to consider him.
I didn’t know that judge Judy was a baseball fan?
Must be a Mets lover.
that might be funny if i hadn’t suggested thst would be one characteristic that would make him more attractive to the yankees.
He’s also a average ballplayer and is criminally overrated.
i think we’ve become so hung up on hrs that there’s an under- appreciation of low k high contact hitters. . Over the last 5 greatys he’s been durable, gives you 175 hits, 35-40 doubles, about 70 walks, under 100 k’s and a BA/OBP slash around .285/.350. i’ll take that.
Hicks/Judge/Markakis/Stanton would produce a lot of runs.
He also has a chance to join the 3,000 hit club
YS?
Do you mean the Yankees or NYY??
Yankee Stadium. Ya know, that short porch band box that a 3rd grader could hit it out of?
lifetime .326/.398/.519 w/ 11 hrs in 259 PA at NYS.
Harpers definitely not out homie!!
The Yankees don’t spend big on free agents anymore. They want to keep adding “solid” guys in the hopes that that will put them over the top
Trading for a 10 year 350 million dollar contract isn’t almost the same?
Yankees have six OFers as is do research.
Weird, so do the Phillies and nationals. Most mlb 40 man rosters consist of more than 6 outfielders. Weird all these people act like they know baseball but really have no clue. They just vent to a site because they have no friends in real life.
The Phillies have a terrible OF so even if they have six OFer only two are good options.
Is that how you wound up here?
It’s this or the Curling finals.
The Phillies outfield situation is very different from the Yankees. Also, the sox carried 4 outfielders and used one primarily at DH. So I’m not sure where you get most teams carrying 7.
Judge, Hicks, Gardner, Stanton, Frazier, Ellsbury. Judge and Stanton are superstars. Ellsbury is getting paid over 21 million this year, Hicks may be the best centerfielder overall in the division, Frazier is an extremely talented 24 year old outfielder, and Gardner is one year removed from his best offensive season. The Yankees outfield is stacked compared to a Phillies outfield of a steady aging Andrew McCutchen, a very good PLATOON player in nick Williams (that is inept vs LHP), Odubel Herrera who is unplayable at times and great in others, an unproven 26 year old in Roman Quinn, and a utility man coming off of a horrid rookie campaign at the plate in Kingery
They have Judge in RF, Hicks in CF, Gardner is best suited as th he 4th OF and wildcards in Frazier and Ellsbury. Considering the options for LF and the health history of Hicks …in no way shape or form is there a blockage of LF. We said we haff too many OF last year and ended up calling up 3 different guys from AAA to start in the OF when Judge, Hicks got injured and Frazier and Ellsbury didn’t make it out of ST.
You’ve got to remember, the Yankees plan to trade Ellsbury this offseason.
… and last offseason.
…and the offseason before that.
The “Ellsbury for Greinke” talk on here was some of my favorite in years.
He is the man for sure. I should have specified I meant less of a platoon and more of a pinch hitter/platoon here or there to give them another lefty. I know they have plenty of depth in the outfield it was a hypothetical idea. I also would not necessarily expect him to accept such limited playing time.
They don’t need outfield. I imagine if they pushed for Harper they would wind up trading Frazier in a package. I am a fan of Granderson, but I do not think there is a spot for him.
Privileged to have seen Grandy man play, Grandy is the embodiment of the phrase: “Ambassador to the game.”
Hope this isn’t it. Had the privilege seen prime Grandy. play w/ NYY and selfishly want him to play until he’s 50.
Might not be a HOF player but #1 bonafife person.
Wouldnt mind him on NYY, even if doesn’t make sense
Agreed! He always spoke to the fans in the seats while in the on deck and made sure he was available.
He just enjoyed the game and played it well.
maybe not HOF.. but #1 bonafide HOF person. *
Bonafide like genuine guy.
Grandy Man is the man.
One of the most underrated players of his era and one of my fav Mets of the last little while. He earned all the money the Mets paid him and was the mvp of the 2015 Mets. Grandy still hits righties so he would be a solid platoon bat somewhere.
The guy hasn’t hit over .250 since 2011 and is mediocre defensively. He’s definitely not underrated. He’s a bench bat at best. He has been for a long time.
And batting average means anything.. his OPS still plays in the MLB
Solid on base skills, good power, and terrific presence in the clubhouse. What’s not to like as a bench guy?
he hit .259 in 2015 and for a guy with 47.7 bWAR is rarely talked about, even as a usually big-market player
last time i checked, .259 is greater than .250 and he hit that in 2015. also, you’re out here in the year of our lord 2019 trying to use batting average as a useful metric?
Ignorant remark he hit 259 with a .360 obp in 2015 and was worth five war and as mentioned has been worth nearly 50 war in his career.
Failure to research stats is resulting in a 3 day ban. Email to follow. Next time, it will be a week!
Comment with care moving forward.
Why don’t we just start tracking cumulative upvotes and downvotes, and display a ratio of upvotes to downvotes on each person’s profile? That way we know who the trolls are
He had above a .800 ops last year.
Of his era
I’m not saying that he’d be the best option for Atlanta, but I could see Granderson sign a cheap contract to platoon with Duvall.
He outperformed many more “shiny” outfielders last season.
Yep I’d take Grandy if Marwin Gonzalez ends up going somewhere else. The Braves just need someone to hold the position down for awhile.
Until when? Pache arrives? We need a solid corner outfielder with good pop and defense signed until Pache takes over for Ender in 2-3 years..
Bring both Gonzalez and Granderson in. Marwin can play in a super utility role
Platooning Duvall with anyone isn’t ideal but Granderson would be a great fit in that scenario. I think it could help lengthen the lineup by moving Donaldson to bat cleanup instead of his projected 2nd spot.
Grandy would be a better option than Kakes, Cargo, or Adam Jones. I’d be okay with him on the Braves.
Cargo is unproven out there and his bat could keep surprising if he gets some lift on these line drive bullet homers, kakes is coming off an all star appearance, alot of personal hardware, and hits to contact.. I’m not saying neither is better, but grandys about to be over the hill..(Those knees getting old to wander RF!)
Sorry meant Camargo (got you confused with cargo) not to be confused with Cargo…autocorrect showed it’s ugly head.
Lot a hardware for Markakis for sure but his second half was dreadful. And he doesn’t want to platoon at all. I think Duval, in a platoon, can bounce back but he needs to play more than last year.
My preference would be someone young or youngish who could play every day. That may not be the way AA goes.
If so, Grandy probably could be signed for less than it would take to get Kakes. He also would be there purely as a platoon player. And if they don’t get another guy besides Duval to pair with Grandson, you have Camargo in the wings..
these articles prove how slow this winter is
I still haven’t understood why it make any difference if a free agent signs in February or November. You should still end up with the same number of free agents signing.
We live in the instant gratification time.
Funny thing is, they’d whine if all signings went down in the first week.
@NewYorkMetropolitans
And I’m a “disgrace to Yankees’ fans”?
You’re a disgrace to Mets’ fans.
Show some respect to the only guy who stayed heathy — and produced for entire duration of the Mets’ contract.
Probably Sandy Alderson’s best FA signing.
He should sign with the Orioles or Marlins. 2 or 3 million and then they flip him at the deadline
They can afford to give him the playing time
Bring him back to Detroit. He’s good for the game and a fan favorite.
All the more reason to trade Castellanos, to open a spot in RF for Grandy
We just need a lh bench bat. Platoon at best. His days of starting are gone. If Nick is moved, Stewart would take right.
It would be awesome if he returned to the Tigers to finish his career and mentor the young guys like Stewart and Jones.
Come back to Toronto. He’s a fan favorite as well as a clubhouse leader. Platoon in RF with Grichuk. They could get a few good months out of him if he stays healthy and in that ballpark he’d have a nice chance to repeat the power numbers he put up.
Grichuk doesn’t need a platoon partner.
Right, cuz he shouldn’t even be playing. .301 OBP? Please.
Seriously? He more than made up for that with the power he displayed and the solid defense. And even with that obp, he still had a pretty good stat line. He finished the season with a 118 ops+, and that’s with the terrible start he had. Give him this year where he doesn’t have two separate injuries in spring and he’ll easily use last year as a spring board season.
Grichuk has never had 500 PAs in a season so getting 200-250 (at least) from Granderson is probably enough. Also, can move Grichuk to CF and trade/bench Pillar to free up more at bats for Granderson playing in RF.
Logical fit for the Giants. Low cost/risk and can release him or trade him if a prospect proves they are ready.
Logical fit for the Giants because he’s a geriatric platoon outfielder.
(With all due respect)
ouch
As a Giants fan, I felt that deep in my soul and it also made me nod my head in agreement. My ex wife would always say “With all due respect…” right before she’d rip my heart out…oh how I miss her…
I still love his swing!!
I doubt anyone makes a signing because of that.
I’d take him as a lefty corner OF backup in St. Louis if the price is right. Hellz yeah.
I always wish he would come to STL!! I’d rather have him play RF instead of Fowler!!
He’ll sign with whatever team hires his second cousin on the third side twice removed……
Seriously though, hopes he finds a job….pro’s pro, top notch guy (they say), and hey, he can still hit a bit (never was much with the glove)….actually looks like he enjoys playing….
Sorry, but Granderson doesn’t fit the “Lose Now” team plan of the Tigers. They need guys like Mahtook and Jacoby Jones in their lineup. Last year they tried to be lousy and they ended up with the 5th pick. They need to try harder.
Mahtook and JJ combined for a 71 OPS+ last year. Starting those dudes is trying to be lousy.
Jacoby Jones. Defensive wizard. I wish he could hit, I mean, even a little bit. He had a .207 BA and .630 OPS last year and still produced 2 WAR, per Baseball Reference. Dude needs to go hangout with JD Martinez’s hitting instructors for an off-season.
Atlanta please, give him a call
Dodgers. ? ? ?
Marlins, Tigers, or Orioles are possible matches, but the salary needs to be small. Cheap Trade deadline cheap. Orioles seem like best match for a DH or pinch hitter.
Always been a big fan of Granderson. Would have loved to have had him in Boston at some point but obviously not gonna happen.
Granderson is a strikeout machine. Glad the Yankees dumped him years ago.
So who’s his “mystery team”?
Cleveland?
Granderson is a good guy, so he’s not going to the Yankees. He wants to win.
Was a great addition for our playoff run!?
The Brewers need a left handed bat to spell Braun…and occasionally Cain…Thanes proved he couldn’t do it in the outfield. I’d rather have Curtis back on the Brewers bench than anyone they’ve picked up so far.
Thames and Grandy are too similar. I’m not sure the Brewers need any more outfielders with Perez and C-Span’s versatility.
Though he is obviously a fair bit older, Granderson is not all too dissimilar from Andrew mccutchen, who just inked a fairly lucrative deal with the Phillies. Their batting lines are quite close, though grandy is much more of a platoon guy at this point.
CHICAGO CUBS: Granderson would be a great addition to the roster. Veteran leadership. Great energy and attitude. Consider bringing him aboard.
I agree, but I don’t think Ricketts would give Theo enough to buy a box of Big League Chew let alone the money to sign Granderson.
Would love to see Grandy sign for a year with the Marlins. Could be a great influence on Brinson and other young players.
Too high of an asking price for a AAAA franchise…
Wish him the best. He always looked like he was having a great time – always with a smile – and always talking to the fans. I am sure he will find a home as he is the type of player and club would be happy to have
I’ve always felt he was a little overrated… but got the feeling he can manage or go into politics if he wanted
Curtis leads MLB in GDS and CPAA
*Good Dude Score and Clubhouse Presence Above Average
Happy to have him play with the Tigers to come back full circle. The fans need someone to cheer, because Jordy Mercer, John Hicks, Niko Goodrum and Daniel Norris sounds line the lineup from the prog rock band Yes circa 1975
No hope of a monster year from Miguel Cabrera this year?
There’s always hope. But the Tigers need a fan favorite while they are building.
If Detroit could have held on to Grandy for one more season, they’d have gone to the WS.
Said no one ever
Canocorn just said it
Granderson was a good Jay…but I totally forgot he played for us in 2018! Yikes!
Come to the Trop. Need some leadership.
always one of my favorite players – his 2007 and 2011 seasons were both truly magnificent. In 2007 he hit 23 triples, which is just amazing – second all time in the live-ball era. He also stole 26 bases in 27 tries and scored 122 runs and batted 301/361/552 that year. In 2011 he scored 136 runs and also hit 41 homers, led the league in RBIs, stole 25 bases and hit 262/364/552. He has 332 career homers and 1700+ career hits. Also, I’ve never heard a bad word about him. He has also been a big advocate of the RBI program, working to get more young African-Americans into the game. A class act and a really solid career.
Wow, even on this board, nary a negative. Gotta be a pretty class act for that to happen.
Granderson has had a great career and I agree he could be a nice fit for the right team as a bench piece.
With that said what is with all these fans/comments “great buy low, cheap option for such & such team that can be flipped at the deadline?”
What happened to fans expecting starting MLB talent on their teams? And if HALF the league is tanking what type of return are you even getting for flip players ?? What a depressing way to look forward to spring training for fans of half the league just to save the billionaire owners a few more million $$$’s. And I can’t believe that so many fans have bought into the poor owners fielding AAA lineups con job.
Why not Tigers?
Love to see him come to the Rockies as a 5th OF/pinch hitting specialist. Although there’s a really good chance we bring back Parra shortly before ST.
How about with the Astros, as a lefty DH option who occasionally plays the field, and gives some of the Beltran clubhouse clout?
Perfect for a young club that could use veteran leadership and mentoring that needs to learn how to prepare daily or as a 5th outfielder/late inning pinch hit/double switch on a contender. Great add for pretty much any team if used properly.