Trent Grisham was set to be one of the top free agent outfielders on the market.
Instead, he won't ever get there.
The New York Yankees' centerfielder accepted his $22 million qualifying offer and will play for the Yanks again in 2026. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported the news on Tuesday afternoon.
Grisham is coming off the best year of his life and almost certainly could've commanded a similar dollar figure over multiple years in free agency.
But he instead opted for security and familiarity with the Yankees.
New York certainly won't mind.
The 29-year old Grisham was a star as their everyday centerfielder in 2025. He batted.235 with an.811 OPS. That included nine doubles, a triple and 34 home runs while driving in 74 runs in 143 games.
Grisham also provides great centerfield defense.
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It looked like the Yankees would have a lot of slug to replace. Grisham was joined in free agency by the likes of Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt.
Grisham was the only one eligible for a qualifying offer, and the Yankees gladly extended it knowing that paying Grisham $22 million for 2026 would be more than fair.
They likely didn't expect it to be accepted, but that narrows down their offseason needs. Instead of needing to solve centerfield, that spot is filled by a guy they like and trust.
Grisham must've greatly appreciated that short rightfield porch in Yankee Stadium. He's coming back to launch more baseballs over it next year.
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