Trent Grisham surprised the New York Yankees last offseason.
Coming off a career year, Grisham was extended a qualifying offer by the Yankees for just more than $22 million. It seemed a matter of procedure. Players almost always reject the qualifying offer.
The step exists because if the player rejects the qualifying offer and signs elsewhere in free agency, the original team gets draft pick compensation.
Except something weird happened — Grisham accepted.
He chose to play the 2026 season on that qualifying offer for $22 million, and it changed the Yankees’ plans.
They likely assumed Grisham was leaving a year ago, but when he signed back on, they had to figure out how the roster looked. After a long delay, they still re-signed Cody Bellinger, but things got crowded.
Grisham’s return meant delayed opportunity for Spencer Jones, and almost no opportunity for Jasson Dominguez.
The Yankees may not run this back, though. Their season ended on Wednesday night in the ALDS with their loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Grisham, after playing the season on the qualifying offer, is a free agent for real this time.
Trent Grisham Contract Future
Grisham reaches free agency coming off a season that wasn’t as good as his 2025, and it likely means his time in the Bronx is coming to an end.
It’s hard to project his contract — it probably depends on what another team views as his defensive upside. He’s a player who was once regarded as great in centerfield but who now doesn’t move as well as he did early in his career.
Grisham also had a left-handed swing geared for the short porch in Yankee Stadium, so that’ll be a question, too.
The Yankees’ roster just seems to make it clear that they won’t need Grisham back.
Yankees’ Outfield Future
The Yankees have, at minimum, Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger and Spencer Jones and Jasson Dominguez still around next season.
There will likely be whispers about a Dominguez trade, but unless something comes to fruition, he isn’t gone yet.
There already isn’t room for Grisham, and that’s before considering any moves the Yankees might want to make in free agency or trades.
New York obviously was hurt by Judge’s health this season, and Dominguez took a step back (although he didn’t get much chance to begin with).
The Yankees can’t guarantee that all of that is better next season, but they also have to head into the year with a logical plan, and it doesn’t necessarily make sense to overcrowd things with Grisham again.
A year ago, it happened because they didn’t anticipate Grisham’s next move.
This time around, the Yankees are in control of moving on, and their roster suggests they probably will.
Yankees’ Trent Grisham $22 Million Surprise Reaches Next Step