MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: The first major domino has fallen for the Yankees (with all due respect to Ryan Yarbrough), and it is a surprise, to be sure. Center fielder Trent Grisham, acquired via trade from
the San Diego Padres two winters ago, has accepted the $22.025 million qualifying offer and will return for his third season in pinstripes. Initially intended to be a fourth outfielder and defensive replacement, as evidenced by his $5 million salary last winter, Grisham emerged as an offensive force for the Yankees in 2025, slashing .235/.348/.464 with 34 home runs in 143 games last season. The move — which according to reports will not hinder the Yankees in their pursuit to bring back Cody Bellinger — ensures at least some stability next to Aaron Judge in the outfield next season.
Other players to accept their qualifying offers yesterday around the majors included old friend Gleyber Torres with the Tigers, Shota Imanaga with the Cubs, and Brandon Woodruff with the Brewers. Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, Kyle Schwarber, Zac Gallen, Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, Ranger Suárez, Edwin Díaz, and another old friend in Michael King all turned down their qualifying offers, so whoever signs them will lose a to-be-determined draft pick.
MLB Trade Rumors | Steve Adams: In addition to being the deadline for players to accept the qualifying offer, last night was also the deadline for teams to add prospects to the 40-man roster in order to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft in December. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Yankees protected a trio of prospects: Spencer Jones and righties Elmer Rodríguez and Chase Hampton.
While the six-foot-seven Jones remains the most well-known of the bunch due to his mix of Judgian size and power and his elite center-field defense, it is perhaps Rodríguez and Hampton who are the more intriguing of the three. Rodríguez (née Rodríguez-Cruz) was acquired from the Red Sox last winter for catcher Carlos Narváez and emerged as one of the organization’s premier pitching prospects this season. Hampton, meanwhile, missed the 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery after being limited to 18 innings in 2024. The last time the Yankees had a top prospect pitcher eligible for the Rule 5 Draft after missing extensive time with injuries, they let the Red Sox swipe Garrett Whitlock from under their noses, assuming that nobody would take the risk on a pitcher who hadn’t been on the mound for a year — clearly the team is still high enough on Hampton still that they do not intend to make the same mistake twice.
The Athletic | The Athletic Staff: This morning, the Saitama Seibu Lions officially posted 27-year-old pitcher Tatsuya Imai, who immediately becomes one of the top free agent pitchers on the market, if not the cream of the crop. While he’s not quite as highly touted as Yoshinobu Yamamoto or Roki Sasaki, Imai was a dominant force in Nippon Professional Baseball, and profiles similarly to Kodai Senga, Yusei Kikuchi, and Hiroki Kuroda, and is expected to slot in as a middle-of-the-rotation starter on competitors. Numerous reports have tied the Yankees to Imai, who does not appear to be a target of the Los Angeles Dodgers — a club that has obviously spent big on the Japanese market in recent years.
