Why Yankees Might Have Already Botched Offseason Over $22 Million

[ad_1] Tuesday is a crucial checkpoint to search out out if the New York Yankees had an correct preliminary learn on this 12 months's free-agent market.

New York had two marquee free brokers in its outfield this previous season in Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham. The latter was an sudden star after a number of below-average offensive seasons and serving because the Yankees' fourth outfielder a 12 months in the past, but it surely's exhausting to argue with 34 dwelling runs from a middle fielder.

The Yankees had been then pressured to evaluate how a lot different groups would worth Grisham's success. They selected to purchase in, slapping him with a $22.025 million qualifying supply for subsequent season. If he turns it down, the Yankees would get an additional draft decide on the finish of the fourth spherical subsequent summer season.

<img id="11047654" alt="" caption="BRONX, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 21: New York Yankee general manager Brian Cashman speaks to the media during a press conference at Yankee Stadium on December 21, 2022 in Bronx, New York. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)" credit="" sourcealt="" sources="[]" fetchpriority="auto" loading="lazy" width="5795" height="3863" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" src="color:transparent;aspect-ratio:inherit;object-fit:cover" sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 1536px, (min-width: 768px) 768px, 100vw" srcset="https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-1451090893.jpg?w=640&quality=75&webp=1 640w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-1451090893.jpg?w=750&quality=75&webp=1 750w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-1451090893.jpg?w=1000&quality=75&webp=1 1000w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-1451090893.jpg?w=1200&quality=75&webp=1 1200w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-1451090893.jpg?w=1360&quality=75&webp=1 1360w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-1451090893.jpg?w=1600&quality=75&webp=1 1600w" bad-src="https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-1451090893.jpg?w=1600&quality=75&webp=1"/> A workforce usually does not tender a participant the qualifying supply until they really feel assured he'll reject it. Solely one of many 14 gamers who bought a qualifying supply final offseason, Cincinnati Reds pitcher Nick Martinez, wound up taking it. However the Yankees should not but really feel secure that Grisham is sure to reject it.

On Friday, Jim Bowden of The Athletic reported that rival executives had been shocked that Grisham acquired the qualifying supply, and extra importantly, expressed fear that Grisham accepting might put them out of the operating for a reunion with Bellinger or a free-agency pursuit of Chicago Cubs celebrity Kyle Tucker.

"Though Trent Grisham had the most effective offensive 12 months of his profession, different groups had been nonetheless perplexed that the Yankees gave him the Qualifying Provide," Bowden wrote. "Grisham was below-average defensively, ... and regardless of hitting 34 homers, he solely had 9 doubles and one triple in 581 plate appearances. He has till Tuesday to simply accept or reject the supply.

"If Grisham accepts the supply, that would take the Yankees out of both the Tucker or the Cody Bellinger bidding wars. I assumed they’d use that cash for both Tucker or Bellinger, an improve at third base, or, most significantly, extra assist for his or her pitching workers. It seems like a reunion with former Yankees starter Michael King, who was traded within the Juan Soto swap, is an actual risk."

As nice as Grisham was for the Yankees this previous season, he is not value bringing again at quadruple the worth tag, even when it is only for one 12 months. The one occasion by which that would not be the case could be if the Yankees had been nonetheless ready to spend each free-agent greenback they'd have in any other case if Grisham had rejected the supply, which appears extremely unlikely, given the constant buzz about proprietor Hal Steinbrenner trying to get beneath the $300 million mark.

From the surface, the Yankees made an enormous gamble on Grisham. However maybe Tuesday will roll round and show they knew precisely what they had been doing.