Yankees Have a Pair of Lefties Headed for Contract Years

The New York Yankees have a pair of lefty mashers heading into contract years this season. If it is anything like how Cody Bellinger saw a career resurgence in the Bronx in 2025, these two may be primed for big seasons.

According to MLB.com's Thomas Harrigan, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Trent Grisham are two of the ten most intriguing players to watch out for as they head into their walk years. It would be Grisham's second year in a row on the open market while Chisholm would be entering his first.

Harrigan points to Chisholm's youth and the fact that the free-agent class is light on position players as reasons his name is among the more intriguing available next winter.

On Chisholm

"Although he missed more than a month with a right oblique strain, Chisholm managed to record the first 30-30 season by a Yankees player in more than two decades, adding a 125 OPS+ and playing superb defense at second base," Harrigan writes for MLB.com. "He's also relatively young -- he'll be 28 when he hits the open market next offseason."

Oct 8, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) tags out Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Addison Barger (47) at first base during the sixth inning during game four of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Harrigan then eyes Trent Grisham. His main point here is that Grisham will likely do everything he can to prove the last season was not a fluke.

On Grisham

"However, in the wake of Soto's departure to join the Mets, Grisham emerged as one of the Yankees' most valuable regulars in 2025, producing 34 home runs with a 125 OPS+ while starting 124 games in center field," Harrigan says of Grisham. "That marked a dramatic turnaround from 2022-24, when he had 39 homers with an 84 OPS+ over 381 games. Grisham reached free agency in November, but with Draft compensation penalties and concerns about his past performance threatening to depress his market, he opted to accept the Yankees' $22.025 million qualifying offer instead of testing the open market. Now, he'll look to prove last season was no fluke before returning to free agency unencumbered by the QO."

Oct 1, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham (12) celebrates his double against the Boston Red Sox during the seventh inning of game two of the Wildcard round of the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Projections

Steamer's projections on Fangraphs show formative seasons out of both. However, each will see a slight production dip, according to the prognoses for the two sluggers.

It projects Chisholm to hit .242/.318/.448 with a 113 wRC+ along with 27 home runs and 27 stolen bases. It still projects some pop in Grisham's bat, but there is a downswing from the year before, as was the case with Chisholm. Steamer projects Grisham to hit .220/.327/.415 with a 110 wRC+ and 21 homers.

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