…yet.

The Dodgers have yet to light their 2018-2019 Hot Stove.
(Google images)

Depending on which MLB national media talking head you choose to believe – including the one who broke a major story that Dodgers part owner and NBA legend Magic Johnson was en route to Las Vegas to personally meet with former Washington Nations superstar outfielder (and now free agent) Bryce Harper which was later found to be completely untrue – word has it that the Dodgers will arrive in Sin City with an armored truck full of money and could very well indeed come home next Thursday with the 26-year-old six-time All-Star, former Rookie of the Year, former NL MVP, and former Silver Slugger award-winner on their roster … among others.

But there is one free agent who absolutely positively will not be on the Dodgers roster – 30-year-old switch-hitting catcher Yasmani Grandal who, on November 12, declined the Dodgers $17.9 million qualifying offer to remain in a Dodgers uniform as their primary catcher through the 2019 season. That’s $17.9 million guaranteed for a guy who absolutely collapsed in the second half of the 2018 regular season and was a complete disaster in the postseason.

Instead, the 30-year-old La Habana, Cuba native and seven-year MLB veteran (who was suspended for 50 games in 2012 for testing positive for testosterone while a member of the San Diego Padres) opted to take his chances on the catcher-lean free agent market.

But six weeks into the off-season and with eight weeks remaining until pitchers and catchers are due to report for spring training 2019, Grandal is still unemployed. As such, one has to believe that he is now having (painful) second thoughts about walking away from that guaranteed $17.9 million he left sitting on Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman’s desk back on November 12.

To be fair, it is (probably) safe to say that there is at least one MLB team out there that may still have interested in Grandal. In fact, New York Post’s Mike Puma wrote last Saturday that with the unlikelihood that the New York Mets will land highly coveted Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto, having just spent a boatload of money to acquire Robinson Cano (another previously suspended PED user) and closer Edwin Diaz from the Mariners, Grandal may now be their primary catching target … but probably not for $17.9 million; unless, of course, it’s for more than one year.

“Grandal would give the Mets the best of both worlds: a quality defensive catcher – despite his lapses in the postseason that have been magnified – who is regarded as a top pitch-framer,” Puma wrote. “He would also bring a potent bat to the equation: In 140 games with the Dodgers last season, Grandal slashed .241/.349/.466 with 24 homers and 68 RBIs. Grandal received a qualifying offer from the Dodgers, meaning the Mets would have to relinquish a draft pick to sign him.”

Ah yes, a competitive balance draft pick between the second and third rounds of the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft, which will be held in June; a pretty heavy hit to a team that finished fourth in the NL East with a dismal 77-85 record in 2018.

But while the Mets may have interest in Grandal, the Dodgers have absolutely none … and why should they? They are blessed to have a plethora of young catching talent down on the farm, none better than 20-year-old (that’s not a typo) switch-hitting (go figure) Venezuela native Keibert Ruiz, the Dodgers number two overall ranked prospect behind only 22-year-old outfielder Alex Verdugo, who has already appeared in 52 games with the big league club over the past two seasons.

Even at only 20 years old, Venezuela native Keibert Ruiz is already drawing comparisons to some guy named Yadier Molina. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

The Dodgers also have 23-year-old Will Smith, their number five overall ranked prospect, in the fold. In fact, because of his (slight) age advantage, many believe that Smith is closer to being MLB-ready than is Ruiz. Like Verdugo, Smith was a late season call up to the Dodgers in 2018 but did not appear in a game.

However, when asked if Smith and Ruiz have a legitimate shot at winning a starting catching role out of spring training at the Dodgers end-of-season press conference on November 1, Friedman said this:

“I don’t know, I mean right now I think that it’s a little early to ask and I think that it would be putting them in a tough position,” he answered. “I think spring training is probably a little aggressive, but I wouldn’t be surprised that, at some point during the year, if one or both of them were in a position to knock the door down. But out of spring training, it’s a big ask and we shouldn’t plan our off-season with that in mind.”

Then again, this was before Grandal declined the $17.9 million that Friedman offered him.

But putting Ruiz, Smith, and even Grandal on the back burner of the aforementioned Dodgers ice-cold Hot Stove for now, it is hard to believe – impossible, in fact – that the Dodgers will come away from Las Vegas without having lit it up to some degree.

Stay tuned…