Sep 7, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham (12) catches a fly ball during the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images Mark Smith-Imagn Images

WFAN Caller Has Meltdown Over Yankees First Big Move

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Joseph Randazzo | Last updated Nov 20, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Trent Grisham's return to the New York Yankees was a surprise. 2025 was thought to be his swan song in the Bronx and that he would be headed elsewhere, most likely garnering a multi-year deal in free agency.

Meltdown on Air

Once the news hit that Grisham had accepted the qualifying offer, the reactions were strong. So strong that one caller on WFAN had a meltdown live on air. The man screamed at Evan Roberts and legendary Giants running back Tiki Barber over the move.

"Now we gotta deal with this one-hit wonder, overpaid bum Trent Grisham," the man yelled. "We got Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole in their god damn prime and we're wasting it with Trent Grisham!"

"Brian Cashman," he went on about the general manager, "you're a — I — I don't know! I don't know!"

The whole clip is here. The user @Franks_Yanks captured the moment in his car while listening to the station.

Someone just went ballistic on WFAN pic.twitter.com/IWJ4pM9C24
— Franks Yanks (@franks_yanks) November 18, 2025

On a one-year deal, $22 million for a centerfielder who hit over 30 home runs and had an OPS north of .800 is fine in a vacuum. He'll live up to that contract easily if he hits over 20 home runs and is somewhere between a two and three WAR, according to Fangraphs and Baseball Reference.

Also, Grisham's peripherals match his production on the field, making it an okay gamble. That's probably the thought that went behind extending him the qualifying offer in the first place.

Hal Steinbrenner's Budget

If there are any issues with the move, it's less about Grisham and more about what it represents for the Yankee offseason at large. The big fear is that Hal Steinbrenner will cap the winter at $300 million, hampering their ability to go above and beyond for potential targets like Kyle Tucker and Tatsuya Imai.

Kim Klement-Imagn Images

It may not just affect the Yankees' ability to land stars. There could be other moves or trades down the line that Steinbrenner's self-imposed spending limit may hurt. At that point, extending Grisham's qualifying offer may have been a mistake.

It's hard to say how things will truly shake out this winter, and Brian Cashman could end up having one of his best off-seasons despite his boss' constraints, but for now, years of lackluster winters followed by lackluster finishes have drawn strong reactions from fans. Now, ancillary moves like a player accepting a qualifying offer feel like a bad omen.

This era of Steinbrenner's Yankees has left fans shellshocked, especially after his frequent mentions of payroll over the years. Before the start of last season, Steinbrenner wondered out loud if a $300 million payroll was necessary to win a World Series.

"The concern to me is … should I really need a $300-plus million payroll to win a championship?" Steinbrenner said in Spring Training last season. "Does having a huge payroll really increase my chances that much of winning a championship? I'm not sure there's a strong correlation there."

Indeed, a payroll above $300 million doesn't always get you a World Series ring. In the case of the Los Angeles Dodgers, though, it gets them back-to-back championships, something not accomplished since Steinbrenner's father was at the helm.

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