Trent Grisham question looms over Yankees' 2026 season

The New York Yankees may not have been expecting to have Trent Grisham back on their roster at all this season.

They extended him the free agent qualifying offer, yes, but most players don't accept that. It would've gotten the Yanks a compensatory draft pick if Grisham signed elsewhere.

Grisham, coming off the best season of his MLB career, did accept that qualifying offer, though, and so he's back in the Bronx for the 2026 season.

He almost immediately became one of the biggest X-factors to the season ahead for the Yankees.

Never before had Grisham hit as well as he did in 2025. Could he do it again?

If he can, the Yankees can be potent. If Grisham can't, he's being paid a lot of money to block a couple of promising younger outfielders, Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones.

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And does anyone really know what's going to happen? Well, MLB.com's Bryan Hoch calls Grisham the "biggest unknown" for the Yankees this season.

"The Yankees seriously considered non-tendering Grisham after he struggled to adjust to part-time duty in 2024, batting .190 in 76 games," Hoch wrote in a new article on Wednesday. "With more playing time in 2025, he posted career bests in several offensive categories, including homers (34) and RBIs (74). That earned Grisham a qualifying offer, valued at $22.025 million, with the Yanks saying they viewed him as the third-best free agent outfielder available. General manager Brian Cashman said Grisham’s contract 'looks like a bargain' in light of deals Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger pulled down in free agency. Perhaps, but Grisham must prove his ’25 numbers are the new norm."

The Yankees are confident they can count on Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge in the outfield corners. Grisham's defense should be great, so he's got that going for him.

But whether or not Grisham hits like the 2025 version of himself will go a long way toward determining how good the Yankees are this season.

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