No one expected Trent Grisham to hit the way he did in 2025, as he never had before.
With a 95 wRC+ over his first six big league seasons and a .191 average, a .651 OPS and an 87 wRC+ from 2022-2024, Grisham shocked with a career year at the plate in 2025. Hardly a factor for the Yankees the season before after coming over from the Padres in the Juan Soto trade, he set career-highs with 34 home runs, 74 RBI, an .811 OPS and a 129 wRC+ as the team’s primary center fielder and go-to leadoff man against righties this past season.
“This is a former first-round pick, talented guy. Everyone’s trajectory is not like this,” Aaron Boone said in August, gesturing in a straight line. “It’s a hard game. Hitting in the big leagues is hard. You see countless examples of guys finding themselves, really figuring it out a little bit, especially offensively, as their career unfolds. He’s had success. He’s hit for some power, but certainly, this is the best offensive season by a lot that he’s had.”
With Grisham recently accepting the one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer to stay with the Yankees, the question now is whether he can remain a force at the plate. At that price, the pinstripers certainly hope so.
“We do believe in the player,” Brian Cashman said last week after stating that he thought there was a 50-50 chance Grisham’s decision could go either way. “We believe his adjustments are real. His swing is made for Yankee Stadium. He’s clearly someone that’s not afraid to play here because he’s performed here.”
Cashman added that Grisham was the third-best outfielder in a thin market behind Cody Bellinger and Kyle Tucker, though some potential suitors would have likely waited on the latter two players before pivoting to the former.
While Grisham’s track record would suggest a replication of his 2025 breakout is unlikely, there is reason to believe he can be a better hitter than he was before this past season.
For one, he has attributed his recent success to a better mental approach, seeking the help of Dr. Bob Rotella, a sports psychologist known for working with golfers, after “thinking like crap for a few years and playing like crap.”
Several quality of contact metrics also suggest that Grisham’s 2025 campaign wasn’t a one-off, as he set personal bests with a 14.2 Barrel%, a 91.1-mph average exit velocity, a .353 wOBA and a .366 xwOBA. That last number ranked in the 90th percentile.
Meanwhile, Grisham’s 17.3 Chase% and 14.1 BB% were in the 99th percentile.
One could argue that the left-handed swinger was a bit too patient, as he also pulled balls in the air at a career-high 23.5% clip. If Grisham continues to make hard contact while pulling balls in the air, he’ll keep running into home runs.
Grisham also did better than he ever had before over a full season when it came to weak contact, solid contact and getting under the ball, and his bat speed slightly improved from the previous two seasons.
“All the underlying information that would lead you to believe real or not real, it points to the real arrow,” Cashman said. “All the information backs up that the changes he made are real and that it should continue.”
With better metrics and mental skills, Grisham will now return to a team that he’s enjoyed playing for, determined to prove that his 2025 season wasn’t a fluke. If he can do that, he will hit free agency again next winter at age 30 and ineligible for the market-depressing qualifying offer, which comes with the detriment of forfeiting draft pick compensation when a new team signs such a player.
That second-chance at long-term security and a multi-year payday should serve as added motivation after Grisham settled on a one-year deal this time around, though Cashman didn’t rule out discussing a longer pact with the veteran.
“I’m not saying that’s something we will pursue,” the general manager said, “but I wouldn’t be afraid to pursue it either.”
