Yankees' Trent Grisham Named Option for World Series Champs

A new potential landing spot has emerged for New York Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham.

Grisham's name has already been floated to numerous ball clubs, like the Kansas City Royals, the Houston Astros and now the Los Angeles Dodgers in this young offseason. However, there's a chance Grisham stays in The Bronx for 2026, with a $22 million qualifying offer still on the table.

Grisham's Fit With the Dodgers

Mike Petriello of MLB.com tagged Grisham as a realistic fit for the Dodgers, along with the Philadelphia Phillies, the Baltimore Orioles, the Cincinnati Reds and the aforementioned Astros.

The Dodgers will likely be in the market for an outfielder this offseason, with Michael Conforto not expected to return and Tommy Edman potentially moving back to the middle of the infield. Los Angeles is also a few years away from some of its top outfielding prospects being promoted to the big leagues.

Grisham will likely catch the eyes of more clubs than just the Royals, Astros and Dodgers if he declines the Yankees' qualifying offer and hits the free market. The 29-year-old two-time Golden Glove winner is coming off his best season at the plate in his career.

Aug 29, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham (12) rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam against the Chicago White Sox during the fourth inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Grisham had a career-high 34 home runs, .811 OPS, .464 slugging, 74 RBIs, 87 runs and 116 hits. He also had a .235 batting average, which was his best since 2021, and a career-best 3.5 WAR.

Grisham may have set several new career highs at the plate, but he primarily built his career on his fielding ability, which dipped in 2025. He was minus-11 in defensive runs saved and minus-two in outs above average. Grisham had 26 DRS and 33 OAA prior to this last season.

Grisham's career slash line of .218/. 400/.720 is also more indicative of who he is as a player than just the 2025 season. Grisham's best home run season prior to this last season was in 2022, when he hit 17.

The biggest concern about Grisham was how much of an outlier this past season was on paper. Teams may be hesitant to give Grisham a large deal based on his track record.

Yankees' Outfield Conundrum

If Grisham and Cody Bellinger both walk, general manager Brian Cashman will be challenged to replace 63 home runs in the outfield. Fortunately for the Yankees, they still have AL MVP Aaron Judge locked up until 2031.

The Yankees could always attempt to re-sign Bellinger or even dip into the free agency pool themselves to get a big name like Kyle Tucker. Or, they could enter the trade market and get a player like Steven Kwan from the Cleveland Guardians, too.

But if the Yankees chose not to outsource, they could make 22-year-old Jasson Dominguez a consistent starter and ever promote 24-year-old No. 4 prospect Spencer Jones from Triple-A.

The silver lining is that if the Yankees can't retain Bellinger and Grisham, they still have options with home-grown talent and in the open markets.

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