The Kansas City Royals could use some outfield help heading into 2026. According to FanGraphs, no team’s group of outfielders was worse in 2025 than Kansas City’s, with their 73 team wRC+ and collective -1.1 fWAR both ranking last in baseball.
There are some intriguing corner outfielders that will be available on the open market. The Royals could also bring back Mike Yastrzemski, who posted an .839 OPS with nine home runs, 14 doubles, and 18 RBI in 50 games last season. But there are also some center fielders heading to free agency that could help anchor Kansas City’s outfield moving forward.
One of those players is Trent Grisham. He landed with the New York Yankees ahead of 2024, essentially as an afterthought in the Juan Soto trade. He struggled in limited time for the Bombers that year, slashing .190/.290/.385 in 209 plate appearances. It was the third straight season in which his batting average finished below .200.
With Soto heading to the New York Mets last winter, it enabled the Yankees to move Aaron Judge back to right field. This gave Grisham a chance to be the club’s everyday center fielder, and he took full advantage.
He slashed .235/.348/.464 with a career-high 34 home runs, 74 RBI, and 87 runs scored in 581 plate appearances. The 28-year-old is heading to the open market and set up for a nice multi-year deal thanks to this breakout performance.
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter shared predictions on which players will sign the biggest free agent contracts this winter. Grisham appeared in the ‘honorable mentions’ category, predicted to land a four-year, $72 million guarantee.
“From non-tender candidate to 34-homer season, Grisham did more to boost his stock than perhaps any player in the 2025-26 free-agent class this year,” Reuter wrote. “Teams won’t simply forget the fact that he hit .191 with an 84 OPS+ in 1,288 plate appearances over the previous three seasons, but he’s positioned himself for a nice multi-year deal.”
This could be quite an overpay, depending on which projections we’re looking at. Spotrac has tabbed Grisham’s market value at four years and $48 million. But if multiple teams get involved, it could drive the price up.
As Reuter mentioned, teams won’t have short memories when negotiating with the outfielder’s camp. After all, this is still a guy who hit .191/.298/.353 in 1,288 plate appearances before his 2025 breakout. But it’s hard to deny the kind of turnaround he engineered in the Bronx while getting consistent playing time again.
The Royals have already been loosely linked to Grisham this fall. Installing him in center field would be a big boost for the club, especially if he can come close to replicating his breakout.
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