The New York Yankees could be on the verge of shipping out center fielder Trent Grisham.
Interestingly, the Yankees had previously shown interest in a center fielder from the Washington Nationals.
Perhaps a premonition of sorts?
Yankees Showed Previous Interest in Nationals’ Jacob Young
Per Joel Sherman of the New York Post on Oct. 17, New York had expressed prior interest in 27-year-old Jacob Young.
As detailed by AJ Eustace of MLB Trade Rumors, “The Yankees could show interest in Young again, but they don’t strictly need him at the moment, as they have Cody Bellinger, Spencer Jones, and Aaron Judge lined up from left to right next year. Heliot Ramos and Jasson Dominguez are on hand as a lefty masher and the main depth option, respectively. New York gave Grisham a qualifying offer last year, but they’re more likely to let him walk this time around.”
During Young’s 2026 campaign with the Nationals, he slashed .252/.318/.390 with a career-high .708 OPS and 10 homers through 140 games.
He posted 22 doubles, three triples and 50 RBIs.
This marked his fourth season playing in the big leagues.
His entire career has been spent with Washington after they selected him 203rd overall in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB draft.
Young made his debut in August 2023.
The extent to which the Yankees and Nationals discussed Young. However, it would be odd if other ballclubs weren’t exploring him, considering his improved performance this past season.
Not to mention, he’d be relatively inexpensive.
Eustace further noted, “It would be in the Nationals’ interest to gauge interest from those clubs, regardless of whether they actually intend to trade Young. The team finished at 77-85 (.475) in 2026 and will probably use 2027 as another evaluation year. Selling high on Young after his career-best offensive showing could bring back a small amount of talent for the next Nationals contender.”
The other clubs in question would be the Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles and the Cincinnati Reds, all of whom could use a reliable center fielder heading into their 2027 campaigns.
A Note on Looming Hot Stove Season
As soon as a World Series champion is crowned, organizations enter hot stove season — the chaotic period of the offseason.
Amid the mayhem, trade rumors and free agency speculation will heat up. The pot will stir as analysts and fans slowly crank the knob.
New York has several moves they’re expected to make in order to fill the potential holes on their roster.
But it’s always worth remembering that it’s best to expect the unexpected in baseball, especially when it comes to transactions.
Ultimately, a front office will make the moves they see as best, and sometimes those transactions come without much warning.
This is an exciting time in baseball with the Fall Classic and looming offseason, but take each rumor with a grain of salt.
New York Yankees Previously Showed Interest in Washington Nationals’ Center Fielder