New York Yankees owner Brian Cashman earlier in the offseason hinted that the team would like to stay under $304 million for its 2026 payroll, the threshold for the Competitive Balance Tax. That put their decision to sign Trent Grisham to a one-year, $22.025 contract on a qualifying offer into question.
Trent Grisham hit at .235 with 34 home runs and 74 RBIs for the club last season. His home run tally was double his previous career high. However, before coming to the Yankees in 2024, he managed a .191 average with 30 home runs and 103 RBIs in 305 games played for the San Diego Padres.
That made Grisham available for a $5.5 million arbitration amount in 2024. A similar debut season in the Bronx earned him $5 million in 2025. Thus, the 2026 amount he is set to receive is four times the sum.
According to New York radio personality Michael Kay on The New York Post’s The Show, hosted by Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman, on Wednesday, the Yankees have dug themselves a hole with that contract.
“The day that they made the offer, Jon, I was on my radio show and I was absolutely aghast! He’s a good player, and I said that once they offered him the $22 million, he’s going to take it. He’s not done; he’s a smart guy. He was not getting $22 million on the market, and there might not be a 2027, so why worry about a multi-year contract?,” Kay said.
Kay feels that the amount will make it tough for the Yankees to stay within the CBT threshold and sign marquee Cody Bellinger, their star performer from 2025.
“You’re paying Neiman Marcus prices for a guy who’s not a Neiman Marcus player. If they are, in fact, committed to staying under $304 [million], you just killed yourself. You took away so much maneuverability, and it might cost you Bellinger.”
Joel Sherman Breaks Down Yankees’ Failed Attempt at a Draft Compensation Through Trent Grisham
Each team receives a draft compensation pick for every player on their roster who chooses free agency by declining a qualifying offer.
“That draft pick that they would get between the 1st and 2nd round is worth $22 million gamble. I don’t see it. I just don’t see it,” Kay said.
But even if Trent Grisham had declined the offer, the Yankees’ pick would have come in the latter stages of the draft due to them having incurred penalties on their CBT from previous seasons.
“Mike, as a multi-time payor in the system, it wasn’t between the 1st and 2nd round; it would have been between the 4th and 5th round. That draft pick was worth even less,” Sherman corrected Kay.
The Yankees can always spend more than the CBT limit and sign Bellinger to bring back the Grisham-Bellinger-Aaron Judge outfield trio.
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