The offseason is still young, but the New York Yankees were already dealt a surprise when outfielder Trent Grisham opted to sign his $22 million qualifying offer to return to the team for the 2026 campaign. Considering how qualifying offers are rarely signed by players, there’s a decent chance that this threw an unexpected wrench in general manager Brian Cashman‘s offseason plans.
While there’s a decent chance Grisham would have returned to town this offseason, the manner in which he stuck around was certainly unexpected. However, when speaking on Grisham’s big decision, Cashman made it clear that he is thrilled the veteran outfielder is back in town, and it sounds like he’s hoping to keep Cody Bellinger around as well.
Brian Cashman Opens Up on Trent Grisham’s Free Agency Decision
Grisham was picked up by the Yankees as part of their blockbuster Juan Soto trade with the San Diego Padres. While Soto is no longer in town, Grisham is still around, and he ended up turning in a strong 2025 campaign after struggling mightily in 2024. In 143 games, Grisham hit .235 with 34 home runs and 74 RBIs, both of which were career highs.
Considering how he was set to hit the open market, it seemed like Grisham chose a great time to put together arguably the best season of his career. A return to the Yankees always seemed to be a real possibility, but given the interest Grisham was drawing, Cashman and the front office extended the qualifying offer to him.
The qualifying offer is valued at the mean salary of MLB’s 125 highest-paid players, and if a player who receives the qualifying offer and rejects it before leaving to sign with a new team, his former club gets draft pick compensation. Players rarely sign the qualifying offer, but Grisham bucked that trend this offseason. Cashman expressed his excitement at having Grisham back, and he also wants to keep one of his outfield partners, Bellinger, in town as well.
“First order of business, we got Grisham in the fold, so one of our big hitters and defenders is back,” Cashman said when speaking to reporters on Thursday. “That solves one area of our needs, but we have two big, important free agents that’s left for us. Grisham was one, Bellinger is another. We’d love to have Bellinger come back.”
Brian Cashman, Yankees Just Getting Started with Offseason To-Do List
GettyYankees get major update on future of Trent Grisham.
Keeping Grisham around ensures that the Yankees will have one of their top sluggers and defenders in the fold for at least one more season. Grisham’s left-handed swing has proven to make him a perfect fit at Yankee Stadium, and he is a more natural fit in center field than Aaron Judge, who shifted back over to right field in 2025.
There is still a lot of work to be done for Cashman and company, though. Re-signing Bellinger is obviously an important piece of the puzzle, but adding some external players who could help at third base and in the bullpen are also key goals for the team. As a result, New York will be worth keeping close tabs on over the coming weeks as free agency begins to heat up.
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