Yankees Retain Outfielder for $5 million; Non-Tender Utility Man, Lefty Reliever

The Yankees avoided arbitration with an outfielder for a total of $5 million and non-tendered a veteran utility man and a lefty reliever.

Oct 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham (12) warms up before game one against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

It’s not the outfielder deal that New York Yankees fans have been waiting for, but the team locked up a key defensive depth piece at a discount on Friday. 

Just hours ahead of the MLB’s non-tender deadline, the Yankees surprisingly retained outfielder Trent Grisham for just $5 million with the potential for another $250,000 in plate appearance bonuses. Grisham took a pay cut to stay with the Yankees after making $5.5 million in 2024. 

ESPN's Jorge Castillo was the first to report on this agreement.

Grisham, a veteran outfielder came over to New York from the San Diego Padres as a part of the Juan Soto trade last December. In 76 games last season, Grisham slashed .190/.290/.385 with nine home runs, 31 RBI, and a 91 wRC+. Grisham did not appear for the Yankees during their postseason run to the World Series as rookie Jasson Dominguez served as the team’s backup outfielder.

Grisham’s value as the Yankees’ fourth outfielder comes from his glove more than his bat. He is a two-time Gold-Glove winner as a center fielder, which he wont back in 2020 and 2022 with San Diego.

Had the Yankees not offered Grisham a contract, he would have become a free agent. With both Soto and Alex Verdugo potentially leaving in free agency, the Yankees did well to tie up Grisham at a club-friendly price. 

With that being said, this does not necessarily mean that Grisham will be in pinstripes on Opening Day. The Yankees could still trade him, although, with few guarantees in the outfield outside of Aaron Judge and Dominguez, the team could use Grisham for depth. Aside from trying to re-sign Soto, the Yankees have also been linked to free agent outfielders like Anthony Santander and Teoscar Hernandez. 

The Yankees also announced they have non-tendered speedy utility man Jon Berti and left-handed reliever Tim Mayza.

Berti endured an injury plagued season in his first and only campaign in the Bronx, limiting him to just 25 games in the regular season. The 34-year-old slashed .273/.342/.318 with a .660 OPS, one home run, six RBI and five stolen bases overall. He appeared in four games in the postseason for the Yankees.

Berti was acquired by the Yankees in a three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins last offseason. The Yankees sent catcher Ben Rortvedt to the Rays in the deal.

As for Mayza, the Yankees signed the southpaw to a minor league deal after he was released by the Toronto Blue Jays in early-July. The 32-year-old posted a 4.00 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 18 innings down the stretch for New York. He did not allow a run in three postseason appearances (2.1 innings) out of the bullpen in October.

In addition to Grisham, the Yankees agreed to a one-year contract with right-handed pitcher JT Brubaker as well.