In Other To Solve Off Field Predicament, Yankees Could Make…
The first few weeks of December saw a whirlwind of free agent activity the likes of which we have not seen in recent memory. Teams handed out mega deals of unprecedented value and length left and right, and the Carlos Correa saga rages on unresolved into the new year. There was a lull in activity during the holiday period as it felt like teams and front offices took a collective breath, but now that the calendar has turned over to 2023, might we see a resumption of off-season activity?
With every impact-free agent off the board, any remaining excitement is likely to come from the trade market. So when Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports that the Padres may be willing to make Trent Grisham available in a trade, ears in GM offices around the league are certain to perk up. That’s especially true for the Yankees, in need of a starting outfielder having passed on all the quality options earlier this winter.
2022 Stats: 152 games, 524 PA, .184/.284/.341, 17 HR, 53 RBI, 7 SB, 83 wRC+, 2.1 fWAR
2023 Contract Status: Entering the first year of arbitration-eligibility, projected to earn $2.6 million. A free agent following the 2025 season.
It’s hard to fault the Yankees for their offseason exploits to this point, having brought back Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo while adding Carlos Rodón and Tommy Kahnle in the largest winter spending spree in franchise history. However, the fact that they were able to make this level of investment and run a payroll north of $290 million and still have potentially season-jeopardizing deficits on the roster — left field, third base, and shortstop leap to mind — generates a justifiable level of angst in the fanbase. Their passive attitude toward the left field in particular means that the remaining options are either non-needle-movers or prohibitively expensive. Therefore, the Yankees would be negligent not to check in on Trent Grisham’s availability
Selected by the Brewers with the 15th overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft, Grisham was traded alongside Zach Davies to the Padres for Luís Urias and Eric Lauer following the 2019 season. The following year saw him break out on the major league stage, finishing as the sixth-most valuable qualified outfielder (2.2 fWAR) in the COVID-shortened campaign. It appeared the Padres had made out like bandits on the 2019 trade and had the centerpiece of their outfield for years to come.
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Nestor Cortes is likely untouchable, leaving Domingo Germán and Clarke Schmidt as the only two players who fit the bill of what San Diego seeks. I’m not sure either player moves the needle. However, just because the two teams are not perfect matches should not prevent the Yankees from trying. Grisham would be a certain upgrade over the Yankees’ two internal options for left field from an overall value standpoint, with several projection systems predicting him to at least double the wins outputs of Oswaldo Cabrera or Aaron Hicks. Given A.J. Preller’s propensity for rapidly-evolving trades, the Yankees better get on the phone soon lest they miss out on yet another viable option for left field.