Padres 'Open' to Trading Outfielder; Possible Left Field Option For Yankees?
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As the Yankees continue searching for a starting left fielder this offseason, considering all avenues after missing out on several talented outfielders in free agency, another possible target has emerged on the trade market.
The Padres are reportedly open to trade discussions including left-handed hitting outfielder Trent Grisham, per Dennis Lin of The Athletic.
Grisham, 26, is a former first-round pick, a center fielder that has experienced a wide range of highs and lows since being traded from the Brewers to the Padres following the 2019 season.
In some ways, Grisham would be a great fit for the Yankees. He's fast (87th percentile sprint speed) and he's a two-time Gold Glove Award winner. Grisham produced plus-17 Outs Above Average and plus-8 Defensive Runs Saved in 2022. Only Daulton Varsho had higher OAA in the outfield this year, another trade option for the Yankees before he was dealt from Arizona to Toronto last week.
Adding Grisham to an outfield with Aaron Judge and Harrison Bader would give the Yankees one of the best defensive outfields in the league, if not the best. His three years of team control and an affordable salary make the pot even sweeter.
While his defense and those other components are enticing, Grisham's performance on offense over the last few years is sobering, to say the least.
The outfielder slashed .184/.284/.341 over 152 games in 2022, by far the worst offensive season of his four-year big-league career. Grisham's average was the lowest of any qualified player in baseball. His 83 wRC+ was tied with Cody Bellinger for the seventh-lowest mark among qualified hitters this year as well. He struck out 150 times in 524 plate appearances, a higher strikeout rate (28.6) than Josh Donaldson (27.1).
A season like that certainly casts a shadow over any positive flashes, but it wasn't all bad. Grisham hit 17 home runs and his pull-side power makes him an intriguing option for the Yankees and the short porch in the Bronx. He works walks at a high rate (10.9 percent) and stays within the strike zone (93rd percentile with a 20.7 percent chase rate). Looking at his spray chart, this lefty is a candidate to benefit from the shift ban in 2023 as well.
Grisham hit .251/.352/.456 during the pandemic-shortened season in 2020 with 2.2 fWAR and 10 home runs in just 59 games. He hit .381 with three homers and a 1.328 OPS over his first seven postseason games this fall. It's in there, he just has to recapture that form, bringing up his contact numbers.
All of that is to say Grisham is an imperfect option for the Yankees, but a player with attributes and upside that could fit in pinstripes. Considering the options that remain—or lack thereof, especially in free agency—New York would be smart to take a look.
If it's not for Grisham, the Yankees could pursue a trade with a number of teams. It's a question of how much they're willing to spend in prospect capital. Pittsburgh's Bryan Reynolds is the biggest name on the block, but he'll require the biggest package. Arizona still has some left-handed outfielders left and might be inclined to flip Lourdes Gurriel Jr., half of their return from the Blue Jays in the Varsho trade. Then there's Twins outfielder Max Kepler and Michael A. Taylor of the Royals, to name a few.
Similar to the Pirates and Reynolds, it doesn't seem like San Diego is in any rush to move the outfielder. Before Lin's report, Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic that San Diego's intention is to "play this position group together" after the signing of Xander Bogaerts.
That complicates the situation for New York, a team that doesn't exactly have the young starting pitching to entice the Padres, Pirates or any club in a trade this winter—unless they want to upgrade the back end of their rotation with Clarke Schmidt or Domingo Germán.
New York can always stick with their in-house options, moving forward with veteran Aaron Hicks and phenom Oswaldo Cabrera. Jon Heyman of the New York Post wrote on Thursday that New York isn't opposed to giving Cabrera or Estevan Florial a shot as a way to stay below the $293M “Steve Cohen tax” threshold (they are at $290M).
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