Inside The Marlins

Marlins Could Poach Yankees' Breakout Star in Clever Move

The Miami Marlins could take this breakout star away from the New York Yankees in MLB free agency.
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) at Yankee Stadium.
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) at Yankee Stadium. | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Miami Marlins may not have fully arrived yet, but with their weekend three-game sweep of the New York Yankees and their surge the last month-and-a-half, they have made it abundantly clear that they are very, very close.

The question is, will the Marlins actually spend the money necessary to take that next step into serious contender status in 2026?

You probably have your doubts, and that's perfectly valid. So do I. So does everyone. After all, Miami is not exactly known as a franchise that is loose with its purse strings. However, with fans finally starting to pack loanDepot Park and the Marlins having an incredibly talented core, the time is now for the front office to get aggressive.

While Miami has a very impressive pitching staff and a budding group of young hitters, it remains clear that the Fish need a couple of more pieces, specifically in terms of bats.

The Marlins' offense has shown dramatic improvement thanks to sluggers like Kyle Stowers and Agustin Ramirez, not to mention contributions from Xavier Edwards, Otto Lopez and, potentially, Jakob Marsee (did you see how good he looked against the Yankees?). But they need more, and they may have just seen a perfect free-agent option the last few days: Trent Grisham.

New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham (12) signals toward the dugout after hitting a three-run home run.
New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham (12) signals toward the dugout after hitting a three-run home run. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Grisham — who homered twice in South Beach this past weekend — has broken out for New York this season, slashing .249/.357/.473 with 20 home runs and 44 RBI over 371 plate appearances while also playing stellar defense in center field. The 28-year-old is slated to hit free agency after the season, and with the Yankees having Spencer Jones on the horizon, they probably aren't keeping him.

Enter the Marlins, who may be able to afford a player like Grisham, a lifetime .716 OPS hitter who may have finally found his groove in 2025. His iffy career numbers will likely prevent him from landing a monster deal on the open market, which could put him well within Miami's range.

Again, this is assuming that the Marlins will want to do something over the winter, and Grisham would fit in very nicely in an outfield that already includes Stowers and Marsee. Dane Myers could then either be traded or moved to the role of fourth outfielder, where he truly belongs.

Miami is not nearly as far off as most assumed heading into the season, but it needs to put some finishing touches on its roster. In that case, Grisham would serve as a perfect acquisition.

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Matthew Schmidt
MATTHEW SCHMIDT

Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.