The 2023 season for the San Diego Padres saw multiple members of the team underperform, and it caused them to struggle in the standings. They ended up missing the postseason, despite their strong offseason, which projected them to be World Series contenders.
One of those players who underperformed was outfielder Trent Grisham, who put together another poor outing for San Diego. He hit .198 with 13 home runs and 50 runs batted in for 2023. Grisham did have more hits and more doubles than in 2022, but he was pretty much a for sure out at the bottom of the lineup.
Dennis Lin of The Athletic provided some insight into what the future could hold for Grisham with the Padres after another poor season.
“It feels like something has to give with Grisham, a two-time Gold Glover who has finished below the Mendoza Line in each of the last two seasons. Grisham will turn 27 next month, and he could be due $5 million in his second year of arbitration. The Padres have rightfully valued his defense, but they may no longer be able to afford the tradeoff on offense, even at the bottom of their lineup.”
Grisham has been a mainstay for San Diego in recent years, but his offensive production is no longer serving them. The Padres can’t afford to keep him around if things don’t improve, and they may not be able to even afford him the chance.
In 2022, Grisham hit .184 with 17 home runs and 53 runs batted in. They took it as a poor year and were hopeful for a bounceback in 2023. But Grisham didn’t do much better, and put together arguably a worse season.
San Diego wants to get back to the postseason next year, and they can't do that with Grisham performing in this manner. He may be a needed causality heading into next season, even though he is still only 26 years of age.
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