Oct 1, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham (12) celebrates his double against the Boston Red Sox during the seventh inning of game two of the Wildcard round of the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Michael Kay Calls Out Yankees' Trent Grisham Decision

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Nov 8, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The New York Yankees extending the qualifying offer to Trent Grisham was almost an unfathomable concept coming into the 2025 season, but he more than earned it with a career year that saw him blast 34 home runs with an .811 OPS.

Grisham doesn't have to decide whether or not he'll sign the QO and thus play on a one-year, $22.005 million deal until the November 18 deadline, but long-time Yankees play-by-play announcer Michael Kay isn't in favor of the club's decision to give him that option in the first place due to the potential implications that could come with it.

"If you are grossly overpaying for a player, that means that’s money you can’t spend somewhere else. It’s not an unlimited budget,” Kay said on his self-titled show. “So there is such a thing as a bad one-year contract if it inhibits you from doing other things that said year."

Mark Smith-Imagn Images

Complications of Grisham Accepting QO

If Grisham were to take the QO and run it back for one more year in The Bronx, the Yankees' offseason plans could change quite a bit.

In that scenario, Grisham would return as the starter in center field while Aaron Judge would remain in right field. The club would still have a potential opening in left field, which could be filled by Cody Bellinger or Kyle Tucker depending on how they feel about Jasson Domínguez and even top prospect Spencer Jones.

The expectation had been that New York would likely let Grisham walk in free agency, but there's a world in which he decides not to test his options on the open market and sticks around in 2026.

While Grisham Actually Take The QO?

Though Grisham almost certainly won't receive an offer worth an average annual value of $22.005 million, he'll still get some multi-year interest on contracts that exceed the total amount of the QO while also providing long-term security.

Spotrac's current projections has Grisham's market value at four years and $48.2 million, while MLB Trade Rumors believes he'll command a four-year deal worth $66 million.

According to MLB.com's Andrew Simon, only 14 of the 144 players who have received the QO since it was first introduced in 2012 have accepted it.

For all intents and purposes, it would come as a surprise if Grisham were to accept the QO. That's not to say it's completely out of the question, but after turning in the best season of his big-league career and lining himself up for a major payday, he'll likely head to the open market and could fetch the Yankees some draft compensation should he sign with another team in the process.

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