The New York Yankees certainly have something with outfielder Trent Grisham, who was a throw-in during a trade with the San Diego Padres two winters ago in the deal for Juan Soto.
Grisham, whom the Padres wanted to dump due to his contract, hits free agency at the end of the season. He is playing better than anyone thought entering the year, maybe even better than Soto, as crazy as that might sound.
He has 12 home runs, a 161 OPS+, and a .267 batting average. He’s also been excellent in the outfield throughout his career, winning two Gold Gloves.
Trent Grisham Is Lining Up for Major Payday
If he continues to play this way, there’s no debate that he’ll have an excellent free agency market. The New York Yankees must understand that if they want to keep him around, which could be possible, depending on how things shape out.
However, there’s also an argument to be made that the Yankees need to move on from Grisham so they can allow Cody Bellinger, Jasson Dominguez, and Aaron Judge to man the outfield, depending on what the future with Bellinger looks like.
When looking at his potential free agency, Jim Bowden of The Athletic believes that if he continues to play this way, he’ll have an excellent winter this year.
“Is Grisham having a breakout season or is this just a fast start? His defensive ability is well-established as he won two Gold Glove awards with the Padres. But with a career slash line of .217/.317/.396 and a career-high 17 homers in 2022, it’s hard to believe how good he’s been this year. Grisham has slashed .274/.371/.589 with 12 homers and 22 RBIs in 143 plate appearances. Can he do this for the rest of the season? If so, he’ll fare quite well in free agency. It’s hard to believe he has a better batting average and more homers than ex-Yankee Juan Soto at this point in the season,” Bowden wrote.
Could Yankees Sell High on Trent Grisham?
Some have suggested that the New York Yankees move on from Grisham at the deadline. That wouldn’t make much sense unless they believe Giancarlo Stanton can return and fill that lineup void.
However, even then, it is very valuable to have a left-handed centerfielder who swings the bat the way he does and goes out and gets it in center.
Stanton may match the offensive production, but he offers nothing defensively and carries a concerning injury history.
Despite that reality, Rucker Haringey of Fansided believes the Yankees should move on from him if they could find a starter who can eat innings.
“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.
Yankees’ Trent Grisham Gets Future Update Amid Giancarlo Stanton Questions