2 free agent signings change the way we should view Yankees Trent Grisham decision

Turn on the news today, and you'll hear all about an affordability crisis. Gas prices, groceries, and utility bills are all going through the roof. So, too, are the prices for mid-tier MLB free-agents, and the high prices we've seen teams pay for the league's middle class might show that the New York Yankees knew what they were doing after all.

The initial reaction we all had was that Trent Grisham accepting the qualifying offer from the Yankees rocked the offseason off course for New York. The price tag of $22 million seemed exorbitant for a player coming off a career year. Given all the budget chatter, whether true or false, the Grisham move seemed like an overpay that would handcuff the Yankees' ability to make necessary upgrades elsewhere.

Now, we're not so sure. We know the price of starting pitching is through the roof, and the Blue Jays overpaying for Dylan Cease has led to other teams having to cough up more than expected for other arms, like the $40 million over two years the Arizona Diamondbacks gave Merrill Kelly.

But now, we're starting to see it on the position player side, too, and in that light, maybe $22 million for a season of Grisham isn't that egregious after all.

The contracts given to Adolis Garcia and Ha-Seong Kim validate the Yankees' Trent Grisham decision

Adolis Garcia was a playoff hero, taking home ALCS MVP honors for the Texas Rangers en route to their World Series victory in 2023, but just two short years later, they couldn't wait to be rid of him, unceremoniously non-tendering him before the 40-man roster deadline.

Ha-Seong Kim was thought to be a sneaky-good pickup by the Tampa Bay Rays last winter, signing a two-year, $29 million deal with an opt-out after the 2025 season. Kim was recovering from shoulder surgery to start the 2025 campaign, and then a variety of other injuries limited him throughout. At the end of August, he was waived and claimed by the Atlanta Braves.

Garcia's gone through two years of misery, posting a .684 OPS in 2024 and a .665 OPS in 2025. Kim saw his OPS drop from .749 in 2023 to .700 in 2024. In 2025, despite a hot final month with Atlanta, he slashed a woeful .234/.304/.345 in just 48 games.

So when Garcia was picked off the scrap heap and given $10 million for one year by the Philadelphia Phillies, it was a bit of a shock. Then Kim got a raise to stay with the Braves, settling on a one-year, $20 million deal.

Here's the bottom line. Garcia is entering his age-33 season and owns a career 102 wRC+ over 766 games. Kim is going into his age-30 season with a career 99 wRC+ in 588 games. Grisham comes in with a 102 wRC+ over the same amount of games as Garcia, and is going into his age-29 campaign.

While the career numbers for all three are similar, Kim has had significant injury issues and declining performance. Garcia has had a steep decline and is a corner outfielder, not a center fielder. Grisham, on the other hand, just came off a good season at the plate, so logic would dictate that if anyone were to be an above-average hitter in 2026, it'd be the guy who just put up a year that was 29% better than league average, and who has the Statcast data to back up his performance.

Maybe the Yankees were on to something, and maybe, just maybe, this wasn't the overpay we all thought it was originally.