NEW YORK – The Yankees weren’t caught off guard when Trent Grisham accepted a qualifying offer this week, according to general manager Brian Cashman, who viewed the outcome as something akin to a coin flip.
“I was more like 50-50,” Cashman said. “I would not have been surprised that he took it and I wouldn’t have been surprised if he turned it down. It was one of those situations where I could see it both ways. It’s a very thin outfield market.
“He’s the third-best outfielder in this marketplace, but he’d have to wait behind [Kyle] Tucker and [Cody] Bellinger because it’s a thin market compared to whatever’s in the trade market. So there’s some gamble on that.”
Cashman spoke Thursday at the Javits Center, as he prepared to participate in the Covenant House Sleep Out event for the 14th time.
The Yankees have made no secret of their desire to re-sign Bellinger; Cashman said he spoke Thursday with agent Scott Boras about Bellinger, who played all three outfield positions and first base for the club this past season.
Cashman also said he spoke with agent Casey Close about several potential targets on Thursday, including Tucker, right-hander Michael King, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and outfielder/designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.
“Who knows where this takes us?” Cashman said. “We know that we had a good team last year. It’s not the same team because of free agency.”
They’ve also expressed interest in Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai, who was officially posted this week. Cashman has identified bullpen and the bench as other areas of interest; he mentioned right-handers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, both of whom are now free agents.
“We’re certainly engaging all these players in the marketplace,” he said.
With Grisham back, the Yankees’ projected competitive balance tax payroll for 2026 has increased to $281 million, close to the second-highest threshold for CBT penalties of $284 million. The top threshold is $304 million.
Cashman said he has not been given a hard cap by managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, who has said in the past that a $300-plus million payroll is “unsustainable.”
“Typically, he always wants to have me bring him [numbers],” Cashman said. “I talk to him on a daily basis. Basically, it’s what have you got? What are you hearing? What’s the trade cost, what’s the price tag? So it’s basically on an individual basis.”
With Friday’s non-tender deadline looming and potential trades also on the horizon, Cashman expressed confidence the Yankees will be able to achieve their goals this offseason, regardless of where the final payroll number lands.
“I think we’re in a good spot,” Cashman said. “The job right now is to find out what’s available, and those all have different price points. There could be cheap players that are available that are good, or there could be very expensive players that are available that are good.
“It’s just cost of acquisition; the cheap ones would be in the trade market, clearly.”
