TRENT GRISHAM JUST DID THE UNTHINKABLE!

Last week I said I didn't have the "Yankees extend Trent Grisham a qualifying offer" on my 2025 bingo card. Yesterday, I just added the "I didn't have Trent Grisham ACCEPTS the Yankees qualifying offer" on my bingo card also. But here we are. Both happened and Grisham is staying in pinstripes.

So now IS THE TRENT GRISHAM QUALIFYING OFFER AS CRAZY AS IT LOOKS? It really could be. I know social media is blowing up and people hate this development. A lot of people say it screws the Yankees financially because it keeps them from making other moves. Honestly, it SHOULDN'T because they are the freaking New York Yankees and they have the money, but Hal Steinbrenner himself said previously that a $300 million payroll was not sustainable. So, what's the deal here?

If we believe what Brian Cashman says HERE, the Yankees top priority remains to re-sign Cody Bellinger. I still think it IS and it should be. Can he play centerfield? Yes. Will he in the future? No. In fact, I think MOST teams view Cody as a corner outfielder or first baseman.....which is exactly how I see him fitting in...at first base. Eventually it is going to happen and the Yankees could use his versatility to go with that swing of his.

But what if Bellinger DOES come back? What about the log jam in the outfield? It's only getting worse as there is more hooting and hollering to call up Spencer Jones. I know a lot of folks are hypnotized by his potential, but I'll be blunt I am NOT. Nope, sorry not sorry. He's got potential but he's not ready yet. He's got to fix that nearly 50% strikeout ratio in Triple-A. That's not worthy of a big league call up. If you can't hit minor league pitching consistently, it gets uglier when you play with the big boys in the big leagues. If Jones can figure that out, then I will officially change my mind. Until then, he has lots more studying and homework to do.

By accepting the qualifying offer, Grisham cannot be traded prior to the following June 15 unless he consents to the move so the Yankees are "stuck" with him for a while. However, Cashman also said "if both [Bellinger and Grisham] come back, maybe it creates some trade flexibility" and if that is the case, you could see the Yankees explore possibilities for someone else.....possibly Jasson Dominguez? Anything is possible, especially with how light the market is for centerfielders. The market was light before Grisham accepted the Yankees offer, and now it's even lighter so teams looking for help at the position might be even more inclined to trade for it. Grisham probably walked away from a lucrative longer term deal based on what is on the open market.

This is the start of an odd offseason. A total of FOUR players accepted qualifying offers. This is the first time since the creation of the qualifying offer that more than three players have accepted it. In fact, only a total of 18 players have accepted a qualifying offer since the system was implemented in 2012.

Will I have any more surprises on my 2025 bingo card? And where do the Yankees go from here now that Grisham is back? This is nuts.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj