The New York Yankees might’ve handicapped their spending power by tendering a $22.5 million qualifying offer to Trent Grisham, which the 29-year-old promptly signed. Instead of helping out the rotation, the bullpen, and the outfield, it appears Brian Cashman may have to ignore potential great fits.
Pinstripe Alley’s Peter Brody believes San Diego Padres free agent Dylan Cease could’ve been a great fit for the Bronx Bombers, but sees the window being missed for Cease to ever be a Yankee.
“Despite the fit in terms of ability and roster need, a pursuit of Cease feels unlikely from the Yankees front office. It’s difficult to imagine them handing out a fourth nine-figure contract to a starter on the wrong side of 30, which Cease will turn in late December. Brian Cashman neither confirmed nor denied whether ownership handed down a mandate to suppress payroll below $300 million — something Hal Steinbrenner has repeatedly voiced a desire to do and indeed achieved in 2025 — and the possibility of said artificial cap limits their spending to more pressing areas of the roster like the outfield and bullpen, particularly with Trent Grisham back in town on the qualifying offer,” Brody wrote.
“In a budget-free world, Cease is exactly the type of starter you would expect the Yankees pitching department to target on the free agent market — one with durability, elite tools, and flashes of ace potential who with a few minor tweaks might cement himself among the highest tier of starting pitcher. However, in this era of eschewing the vast majority of stars at the top of the free agent market, it’s unlikely we’ll see Cease pitching in pinstripes in 2026 and beyond.”
Yankees’ offseason spending direction unclear after Hal Steinbrenner statement
Hal Steinbrenner sent mixed signals on whether or not the Yankees’ payroll would go down for the 2026 season.
On one hand, he said he’d like to trim it, but he also said he’d like to field a competitive roster. And then he complained about how much spending he’s already doing.
"Would it be ideal if I went down [with the payroll]? Of course," Steinbrenner said Monday on a video call with reporters, per ESPN. "But does that mean that's going to happen? Of course not. We want to field a team we know could win a championship -- or we believe could win a championship.
"Nobody spends more money, I don't believe, on player development, scouting, performance science. These all start to add up. If you want to go look at the revenues, you got to somehow try to figure out the expense side as well. You might be surprised."
It’d be a shame if Grisham’s decision to come back for a year with a no-trade clause keeps top-flight talents on the mound and at the plate from New York.
That may be how this offseason shakes out, though.