Matt Johnson
MLB free agency has arrived, with some of the top free agents this winter already having received qualifying offers and preparing to reject them so they can test the open market. Among the best players available on the open market, the New York Yankees seem to have their eye on a specific target.
According to Randy Miller of NJ.com, the Yankees are eyeing a reunion with All-Star hitter Cody Bellinger regardless of whether or not fellow impending free-agent outfielder Trent Grisham accepts the qualifying offer of $22.025 million for the 2026 season.
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Grisham, unlike many of the top MLB free agents in 2025-26, has some reason to accept the one-year qualifying offer. While he is coming off a career-best season at the plate – .811 OPS, 34 home runs, 74 RBI, and .235/.348/.464 triple-slash line – there are reasons to wonder if that production is an outlier.
After all, the 29-year-old outfielder posted a .191/.298/.353 line with a .651 OPS and 39 home runs across 1,099 at-bats over his previous three seasons. Even before that, his previous career-best over a full season came in 2021 as a 24-year-old with the San Diego Padres, when he hit 15 home runs with 62 RBI and a .242/.327/.413 line in 462 at-bats. If Grisham accepts the qualifying offer and replicates his numbers in 2026, he could land a far more lucrative, multi-year contract in MLB free agency next winter.
If Grisham accepts the $22 million qualifying offer, then retaining the two outfielders gets pricier for New York. ESPN recently projected that Bellinger will land a six-year, $165 million contract this winter, an average annual value of $27.5 million. In the event New York brought both Bellinger and Grisham back, they would be paying $121.5 million next season for Bellinger, Grisham, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton alone.
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With that said, Bellinger’s left-handed bat proved to be an excellent addition to the Yankees lineup, and the versatility he offered in playing first base and all three outfield spots provided manager Aaron Boone with lineup flexibility. There will certainly be a bidding war for Bellinger’s services, but a return to New York seems very realistic as of now.
