Yankees' decision likely takes Reds out of the running for perfect outfield target

As the Cincinnati Reds prepare to shop for bats on a budget, they got some bad news regarding a target who, on paper, seemed like a perfect fit. New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham was about to find himself on the market in a weird position.

A breakout star in 2025, Grisham clocked 34 homers while posting an .811 OPS, which was also fueled by a stellar 14.1% walk rate. This explosion comes after three consecutive seasons of a sub.-200 batting average and Grisham failing to carve out a full-time role.

While this could definitely give you Jeimer Candelario vibes, the prospect of employing a lefty-bat with power and patience atop Cincinnati's lineup might have been too good to pass up. That's especially true considering his past track record would have made him come at a discount.

The Athletic's Jim Bowden projected Grisham to get a two-year $30 million deal, while Spotrac pegged him at four years and $48 million  —  both of which would've been well within the Reds' budget.

The Yankees' Trent Grisham decision just took him off the table as an option to upgrade the Reds' lineup

Unfortunately, the Yankees decided to tag Grisham with the qualifying offer, which basically takes the Reds out of the running for two reasons.

First, there's a decent chance that Grisham accepts the deal. After all, if he repeats his 2025 performance in 2026, he'll likely be looking at a much, much bigger payday than the short-term $12-$15 million deals he's been projected to receive. And if not, he's $22 million richer and not losing out on much versus what he's been projected to earn.

Second, even if he declines the QO, the chances of the Reds surrendering a draft pick to acquire him are slim to none. Cincinnati's budget restraints require building a strong pipeline of cost-controlled young talent, and you can't do that by giving away draft picks. Even if Nick Krall could be convinced to part with one, it would have to be for a much more established name.

It's unfortunate because if Grisham hadn't been hit with the offer, he would have been a nice dice roll for the Reds. The outfield is the easiest spot to upgrade given the current roster construction, and as a left-handed hitter, his 34 homers were just three shy of what Cincinnati's lefties produced in 2025, combined. Yup, that's right, Reds left-handed bats managed just 37 big flies, which was the third-fewest in all of baseball and ranked behind even the pitiful Pittsburgh Pirates.

With Grisham all but off the board, the Reds will have to look elsewhere for inexpensive firepower. Unfortunately, they'll be hard-pressed to find another free-agent target with as much upside in that projected price range.