If Major League Baseball were like the NBA, then we’d officially propose an offseason sign-and-trade deal featuring New York Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham and Chicago Cubs All-Star slugger Kyle Tucker.
Alas, no such rules exist in Major League Baseball, and Tucker and Grisham are both pending free agents. Although Tucker has endured a brutal second-half slump after suffering a fractured right hand in June, he’s still a 28-year-old who could command at least $300 million on the open market.
Then, there’s Grisham, who has engineered one of baseball’s more remarkable comeback stories. After batting .191 with a .651 OPS from 2022-24, Grisham entered Tuesday batting .250 with a career-high 25 home runs, 50 RBIs, and an .823 OPS.
Not only has Grisham provided the Yankees with 3.1 bWAR, but he’s reaching base at a .354 clip, and his 21.3% strikeout rate is easily the best of his seven-year career. If this is the Grisham that we’ll see moving forward, then he’s officially graduated from a defensive standout to an all-around weapon.
Tucker makes plenty of sense for the Yankees, who need another reliable outfielder with Jasson Domínguez’s defensive struggles and questions regarding Aaron Judge’s future in right field. Such a move could spell the end of Grisham’s tenure with the Yankees, and the Cubs would be wise to pounce.
Trent Grisham Makes Plenty of Sense for the Cubs
Considering that Grisham plays half of his games at Yankee Stadium, it’s easy to assume that the right field short porch is responsible for his offensive breakout. However, Grisham is hitting .209 with a .731 OPS at home compared to .286 and .904 on the road.
In other words, Grisham is either the latest player to post uncharacteristic, career-best numbers in a contract year, or he’s truly taken a massive step forward. For their sake, the Cubs should assume it’s the latter if they plan on pursuing him.
Grisham has exclusively played center field dating back to 2020, whereas Tucker is the Cubs’ starting right fielder. Theoretically speaking, the Cubs could move designated hitter Seiya Suzuki back to right field, where he spent much of 2022-24.
A Cubs outfield featuring Grisham, Suzuki, and Pete Crow-Armstrong sounds fearsome on paper. Let’s see whether it comes to fruition or if the Cubs will enter 2026 lacking both Grisham and Tucker.
