The New York Yankees will likely be active this winter, but it is not known if outfielder Trent Grisham will be with the club once next season begins.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Grisham is not expected to accept the qualifying offer that New York proposed and may choose to take his talents elsewhere.
“The New York Yankees badly want to re-sign Cody Bellinger, and although they can afford both players, don’t expect center fielder Trent Grisham to accept their $22.05 million qualifying offer,” Nightengale wrote.
Grisham enjoyed a career year in 2025. Across 143 games, the Burleson native bashed 34 home runs, collected 74 RBIs, and posted an .811 OPS. According to Baseball Savant, he ranked in the 88th percentile in Batting Run Value, the 99th percentile in Chase percentage, and the 89th percentile in Barrel percentage. Grisham has until Tuesday to accept or decline the contract.
“If he turns it down, that means the market is flush with teams that have a need in the outfield, especially center field,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “He had a hell of a year for us, and one of the big reasons why we had the level of success we did. We’d be happy if he accepted and came back.”
The Yankees are also expected to try to keep Bellinger in the Bronx, but the 30-year-old is coming off a year that saw him hit 29 home runs and post an .813 OPS. The club could afford to retain both players, but they may be less inclined to chase Bellinger if Grisham accepts his qualifying offer.
“He was a terrific addition for us last year,” Cashman said of Bellinger. “He played a big role in the amount of success we wound up having. Certainly, we’d love to have him come back to us. We’d be better served if we can retain him, but if not, then we’ll have to look at alternative ways to fill it and see where that takes us.
“It’s pretty early in the process, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Of course we’d like to have him back.”
The Yankees will be busy this offseason, and Grisham’s decision could heavily impact how the front office decides to proceed.
