Yankees Predicted to Lose Key Outfielder After Career Season

The New York Yankees have plenty of stars on the roster but a less heralded member of the team has been vital as well.

After joining the Yankees as somewhat of an afterthought in their trade to acquire Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres, outfielder Trent Grisham has enjoyed the best season of his career this year. He has a .244/.347/.457 slash line with 21 homers so far while once again playing Gold Glove caliber defense.

But Grisham is currently in his final year of arbitration eligibility, making $5 million before earning the chance to become an unrestricted free agent. And as he surges toward a substantial long-term contract, the Yankees seem likely to move on to a younger option in the outfield.

Randy Miller of NJ.com predicted that the Yankees would watch Grisham sign with another club despite his career season in pinstripes. And that could mean slotting in Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones alongside Aaron Judge as the everyday outfield combination.

"Grisham's exceptional performance this year actually put his name in the deadline crosshairs, as dealing him seemed to be an option for the Yankees to leverage their outfield surplus to address other roster deficiencies," Stephen Parello noted for FanSided. "Further complicating matters for Grisham is the presence of top prospect Spencer Jones, who reached near-untouchable status in deadline talks and whose otherworldly performance for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre means he soon will break down the door to the big leagues. That, unfortunately, will leave no room for Grisham to return."

Though Grisham has unlocked a new dimension of power at the plate this season, his performance probably hasn't been strong enough to compel the Yankees into a long-term investment. But even if he does join another team, a great year in the Bronx has surely boosted the price tag of his next deal.