The New York Yankees might have found a diamond in the rough with Trent Grisham. Grisham has played excellent baseball, and if he continues doing what he’s done, there’s a strong argument to be made that he should be a starter.
The issue, however, is that there isn’t much of a place for him to play every game. The Yankees have allowed him to start multiple times over the past week, but it’s uncertain if that’s the plan moving forward.
If it isn’t, the Yankees could look to trade him, and there are multiple ways they could approach that. Teams around Major League Baseball would love an outfielder who is currently hitting .379 with three home runs, and while this is the best the 28-year-old has ever swung the bat, it isn’t like he has superstar potential and would get the Yankees and an ace caliber arm in a trade.
Grisham has been a below-average hitter throughout his entire career.
What Would the Yankees Want?
If the New York Yankees move on from him, pitching would be the top priority. This team has been derailed by injuries throughout the past few weeks, and it doesn’t look like it’ll get better anytime soon until others return.
Even when that happens, the Yankees still have a few questions in the rotation.
Rucker Haringey of FanSided pitched the idea of the Yankees trading the left-handed hitter for a starter who can eat innings, which makes sense, given the Yankees’ current needs.
If they found somebody who can be a fourth option and throw 150-plus innings, they’d be in an excellent position if other guys step up.
“The Yankees starting rotation has been beset by injuries in the early going. Gerrit Cole missing the full season is a hammer blow to the roster. Luis Gil likely won’t return to the mound until after the All-Star break. The relative good news is that Clarke Schmidt should be ready to rejoin Boone’s rotation sometime next week…
“That’s why flipping Grisham for an average starting pitcher capable of soaking up 150+ innings this season could be so valuable for the Yankees. That might not seem like a needle-moving transaction for a team with World Series aspirations, but it could give the pitching staff a much more solid platform to build on,” Haringey wrote.
Who Could They Land?
Regarding who the New York Yankees could get in return for Grisham remains to be seen.
That’ll all depend on who becomes available on the market, but multiple arms should be moved at the deadline.
If he keeps this up, there’s a scenario where the Yankees could look to keep him around, but when Giancarlo Stanton returns, it’s tough to find a place in the lineup for Grisham.
A starter should be the priority, and even if the Yankees have to attach a prospect two along the way, it might be what has to be done. If they could package him in a bigger deal for an ace, that’d be the best-case scenario.
However, that might be much easier said than done given the arms that might be available.
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