The New York Yankees put together quite an offseason this winter after losing out on superstar Juan Soto. Soto opted to sign a deal with the cross-town rival New York Mets, but the Yankees responded in a huge way.
As a response, the Bronx Bombers added Max Fried, Devin Williams, Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, and a few others. New York has a loaded roster with some major talent in the farm system as well.
Top prospect Jasson Dominguez is expected to get his chance in the outfield early on. Top pitching prospect Will Warren will likely begin the season in the starting rotation, too.
But there are a handful of prospects that are currently blocked in the minor leagues because of the poor mismanagement of general manager Brian Cashman. Cashman brought back outfielder Trent Grisham this offseason and the 28-year-old doesn't have any minor league options, so the Yankees are forced to keep him on the roster or else they'll need to cut him.
Who could the Yankees use Grisham's roster spot for if it wasn't for Cashman's mismanagement?
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3. Outfield prospect Everson Pereira
Last season, Grisham slashed .190/.290/.385 with a WAR near 0.0. He hasn't hit above .200 since the 2021 season. Yet the Yankees still decided to give Grisham a roster spot over outfield prospect Everson Pereira.
Pereira, 23, smashed minor league pitching last season. The 23-year-old slashed .265/.346/.512 with 10 home runs and eight doubles in 40 minor league games before being brought up to the Yankees. He slashed .151/.233/.194 in just under 100 at bats with the Bronx Bombers. Over the offseason, Pereira has taken strides to improve this offseason and he's likely ready to find himself on the Yankees' roster.
The righty has the raw tools to be very successful at the big league level. He's an elite athlete with tremendous raw power. All he needs is the chance to find his stride in New York, but the Yankees are going with Grisham over him. Grisham has a very, very low ceiling. The veteran also doesn't have a substantially high floor. While Pereira has a low floor, he also has a very high ceiling. The Yankees will need to demote a different player if they ever want to move Pereria to the big-league level.
2. Infielder Jorbit Vivas
Another player that Grisham is blocking is infielder Jorbit Vivas. While Grisham is an outfielder and Vivas is an infielder, he's still blocking Vivas' roster spot. Let me explain.
Grisham should be considered expendable on the Yankees' roster because New York has plenty of players to play the outfield. Obviously, Dominguez, Bellinger, and Judge play outfield. Grisham is looked at as the fourth outfielder, but Dom Smith can play outfield, too. When Giancarlo Stanton returns, he could potentially play a few games out there if necessary. Jazz Chisholm Jr. could play outfield again, too.
With that in mind, it might be more important to have an infield prospect like Vivas in the big league level, especially with the state of the Yankees' infield. New York doesn't need a defensive outfielder when it has such a huge question mark at third base. Having Vivas on the roster over Grisham would give the Yankees a better shot at competing. They could even slide Oswald Peraza or Vivas to the outfield if need be.
1. Outfield prospect Spencer Jones
The most obvious player that Grisham is blocking is top outfield prospect Spencer Jones. In most scenarios, Jones would be on the big league roster coming out of camp. He's one of the best prospects in the Yankees' system, for good reason. The 6 foot 6 lefty has crushed minor league pitching ever since the Yankees used a first round pick on him in 2022.
Jones, 23, has incredible raw tools. He's a physical specimen with enough pop in his bat to slug 25 or 30 home runs a year if he adjusts well to the big leagues.
If Grisham had an option in his contract, the Yankees would absolutely send him to the minor leagues in order to give Jones a chance. Jones is the much better bat and there's no excuse for him to begin the 2025 season in the minor leagues.
It's unlikely the Yankees will have a spot on their roster for Jones unless they face a few injuries or decide to cut a player or two. Either way, it seems like malpractice for Jones to miss out on a roster spot in favor of Grisham.