The Texas Rangers have their new manager in place after they officially introduced Skip Schumaker on Friday. Now the attention will turn to roster construction for the 2026 season.
One area the Rangers need to improve is with their offense, and Schumaker spoke about that during his press conference. Adding some pop to a lineup that ranked near the bottom of MLB in a lot of categories is a must.
One player who is a free agent this year is New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham. His numbers are interesting for any team that signs him and makes him someone who could have a market. Grisham has been linked to Texas in the past, and another prediction has seen him wind up in Arlington this winter.
After New York was eliminated from the American League Division Series by the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night, Randy Miller of NJ.com (subscription required) predicted that Grisham would join Schumaker and the Rangers.
“The Yankees probably will look into bringing back Grisham for a year, but Spotrac projected a four-year deal for $47.5M. The Yankees don’t want to lose Grisham, but he’s a center fielder and they think they’ll soon be set there with (Spencer) Jones,’’ Miller wrote.
The first thing that jumps out regarding Grisham is his home runs. He hit 33 this year which was a career-high. That was 11 more than Wyatt Langford, who hit a team-high of 22 for the Rangers in 2025. Grisham also finished with a career-high in RBIs (74), runs scored (87) and hits (116) across 143 games. Those numbers would be welcomed in Texas' lineup after how poorly they performed this season.
One problem with Grisham is that his projected contract at Spotrac is $12.1 million a year for four years. That is a huge payday upgrade for him after making $5 million this season. New York could still end up signing him -- which was pointed out by Miller -- so he might be willing to take a discount to remain with the Yankees after putting up career-best numbers with that franchise.
However, he should draw some major interest on the market this offseason that will likely bring in a lucrative deal for the slugging outfielder, and if the Rangers are able to sign him, he would become an interesting bat in a lineup that needs offense.
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