Trent Grisham had a career year playing center field and batting leadoff for the New York Yankees in 2025. He doubled his previous career high in home runs, finishing second on the team with 34.
But does he deserve $22.5 million per year? The YES Network's Michael Kay doesn't think so.
Kay puts more blame on the Yankees' front office than he does on Grisham.
"He's [Grisham] not dumb, he's a smart guy. He was not getting $22 million on the market," Kay said in a conversation with the New York Post's Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman. "There might not be a 2027, so why worry about a multi-year contract?"
The Yankees didn't expect Grisham to accept
From the way it played out, it appeared the Yankees did not expect Grisham to accept the $22.5 million qualifying offer.
"You're paying Neiman Marcus prices for a guy that's not a Neiman Marcus player," Kay said. "I thought it was a huge mistake. And if they are committed to staying under $304 million, you just killed yourself and took away so much maneuverability, and it might cost you Bellinger."
New York's offseason has been remarkably slow, making just one significant signing from outside the organization. They agreed to a minor league deal with infielder Paul DeJong over the weekend.
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