Remember when the New York Yankees traded for Juan Soto before the 2024 season, and everyone immediately jumped in to explain why acquiring one of the best hitters in baseball was a bad idea?
We had the “It’s only for one year!” crowd, who, ironically, are probably the same people who would empty the farm system at the trade deadline for a two-month rental. Then there was the “The Yankees gave up that much pitching for Soto? Woof,” as if Randy Vásquez and Jhony Brito were legit game-changers. But the real winner was the “Ha, you’re taking on Trent Grisham’s $5.5 million salary?! Idiots!” crowd, as if adding a 2.0 WAR outfielder was some sort of crime.
Sure, Grisham’s first year in New York was underwhelming. But anyone who actually paid attention knew it wasn’t his fault. Aaron Boone barely played him. How was he supposed to make an impact with fewer than half the team’s games under his belt?
Despite that, Grisham still had value as an above-average defender with a solid lefty bat. He’d accumulated 10.1 WAR between 2020 and 2023 with the Padres—who wouldn’t want to pay $5.5 million for a player who could put up 2.5 WAR?
Fast forward to 2025, and Grisham has flipped the narrative, becoming the ultimate comeback story for anyone who still questions the Soto trade with San Diego. While his current production likely won’t sustain, he’s already been more valuable through 31 games this year than he was in 76 last season.
The Juan Soto trade is even more valuable now because of Trent Grisham. He’s posted 1.2 WAR with a .292 average, a 1.016 OPS, 19 runs, 10 home runs, and 20 RBI. This includes a game-tying pinch-hit home run against his former team on Wednesday. Plus, he’s yet to make an error in 212 innings in center field and has even served as the leadoff hitter multiple times, igniting the lineup with his power and ability to hit left-handed pitching.
Now that the Yankees have decided to be more flexible with their lineup, Grisham has finally been given a fair shot—and he’s making the most of it. If the Yankees end up paying $10.5 million for about 200 solid games from Grisham, it’s more than worth it, especially when you look at the prices other outfielders are commanding. A suspended Jurickson Profar at $14 million for just one season? George Springer at $25 million per year? Michael Conforto for $17 million?
Sure, the usual critics will still chime in, ready to pounce on Grisham’s inevitable slumps, but for Yankees fans who can look at the bigger picture, it’s clear: they can finally put this to rest and move on, knowing that everyone who doubted the trade is only proving how out of touch they really were.
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