Tigers Surprisingly Named as Top Fit for Yankees Star Free Agent Outfielder
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The Detroit Tigers suffered a heartbreaking exit in Game 5 of the ALDS against the Seattle Mariners, falling one moment short of their first ALCS since 2013.
While the hurt from fans and players is still very much there after such an emotional roller coaster of a season, the front office has a job to do this winter. President of baseball operations Scott Harris needs to turn the page to next year and figure out how to get this team deeper into October.
There were large stretches of 2025 where the Tigers looked like the best team in baseball, but the way they closed the final months and blew a historic 15.5-game division lead to the Cleveland Guardians, it became clear there are real issues there.
As Harris gets set to navigate free agency, there are some positional areas that need to be addressed which may not jump off the page to improve the overall standing of this roster, but there are also places where splashes could be made.
One of those possibilities is center field after an injury-filled and inconsistent campaign for Parker Meadows. And that prompted Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report to list Detroit as a team that could make a move for New York Yankees free agent slugging outfielder Trent Grisham.
Tigers Linked to Yankees Gold Glove Slugger Trent Grisham
“Though they snuck into the playoffs and into the ALDS, the Tigers have some roster tweaking to do after their collapse over the final five weeks of the regular season,” Miller wrote. “Near the top of the to-do list might be getting a center fielder who appears in at least 60 percent of team games for what would be the first time since Anthony Gose in 2015."
Grisham has been estimated by Spotrac to have a very reasonable market value of four years and right around the $50 million mark. Needless to say, just about any center fielder in baseball would be a defensive downgrade from Meadows, but timely hitting was way more of an issue for the Tigers in their elimination this postseason.
Grisham Could Be Perfect Fit to Boost Tigers Lineup Next Season
The 28-year-old is coming off the best season of his career and seemed to have a true breakout. Slashing .235/.348/.464 with 34 home runs and 74 RBI, Grisham posted a 3.5 bWAR over 143 games played. Meadows, on the other hand, has played just 140 games in the last two seasons combined, and he was largely dreadful at the plate this year when he was on the field.
While Harris would likely prefer a right-handed hitter to better balance things out, Grisham has the perfect combination of defensive ability, offensive production and, most importantly, availability. Detroit needs to make a big move this winter in order to address their offensive woes. Whether or not they feel Grisham is the right fit remains to be seen, but it makes a lot of sense why they would at least be interested in the possibility.
As true hot stove season draws nearer and nearer, keep an eye on the Tigers to be a sneaky contender to wind up signing Grisham.
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Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.