Yankees' bench piece agrees to surprising pay cut ahead of non-tender deadline

Clearly, the New York Yankees were more motivated to keep Trent Grisham around than we thought -- and, likewise, the team's fourth outfielder really wanted to stick around.

Last offseason, the Yankees added Grisham as a condition for the acquisition of Juan Soto; in order to lessen the Padres' financial burden, New York agreed to tack him onto the deal to flesh out their bench. He made a hefty $5.5 million in 2024, which the Yankees were able to easily absorb, but which would've caused consternation as the Padres' budget shrank.

Ultimately, Grisham didn't provide all that much during his first season in pinstripes. While he showed flashes (the home run against the Dodgers during a game where the entire crowd chanted for him to be replaced by Juan Soto stands out), the production didn't add up, and he finished with nine homers, a .190 average, and his fair share of criticisms for lackadaisical defensive play. When it came time for October baseball, he was nowhere to be seen, not appearing in a single postseason contest.

Given that MLB Trade Rumors expected his salary to rise to $5.7 million next season, it seemed a fair bet that the Yankees would non-tender Grisham rather than pay that price, especially with so much at stake this offseason.

Somehow, that was not the case. The two sides agreed on a pay cut down to $5 million for the 2024 season, which represents a slight downgrade, but not quite as far as we thought they'd have to go to keep him home.

Yankees, Trent Grisham agree on revised salary for 2025

Grisham, a glove-first option with serious pop, should've probably (ducks) received more playing time in Alex Verdugo's place before Jasson Dominguez's promotion. By the end of the season, though, it was already too late, and Verdugo ended up having a fairly clutch October while Grisham hung in the background.

A deeply silly season, but who could forget the two-out RBI double that equalized the most exciting win of the Yankees' season at Fenway Park off Kenley Jansen?

The Yankees clearly didn't, judging by the fact that they went above and beyond to keep Grisham for 2025. This one felt like an easy call. We predicted wrong.