Tigers could once again swipe talent from Yankees to improve 2026 offense

First Gleyber Torres, and now Trent Grisham? That's the question Scott Harris and the rest of the Detroit Tigers front office will be asking themselves once free agency gets underway.

It was just a year ago that the Tigers took advantage of former Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres's questionable standing in the market and were rewarded with an All-Star performance from the 28-year-old. Now, the club is thought of as one of the top landing spots for another Yankees free-agent-to-be in Trent Grisham, who will enter free agency with similar uncertainty with regard to the strength of his market.

The Tigers swiping Trent Grisham from the Yankees could be the ideal move to bolster the 2026 offense

In its totality, the Tigers' 2025 offense was nothing to write home about. The club finished 11th in baseball in runs scored with 758, 10th in home runs with 198, 14th in on-base percentage at .316, and 11th in slugging with a .413 mark.

None of that is truly awful, but it's all about average to slightly above. However, one unit that really struggled was the Tigers' center fielders. Detroit threw a handful of players out there, from the expected like Parker Meadows to the nobody-had-this-on-their-bingo-card option in Javy Baez.

In total, the collection of center fielders posted a .649 OPS, ranking 24th in baseball. Two areas where Tigers' center fielders really struggled were in the patience and power departments, with a walk rate of just 6.3%, a slugging percentage of .366, and an ISO of .136.

Those are two areas where Grisham excelled in 2025. The seven-year veteran clubbed 34 dingers while slugging .464 and putting up a .229 ISO. He walked at a stellar 14.1% clip as well and did an excellent job atop the Yankees' lineup.

The Tigers already know that Parker Meadows can't be counted on to be either consistently healthy or consistently productive. As a result, an upgrade is desperately needed.

Grisham isn't without his red flags, however. His 2025 campaign saw him reach heights he had never before come close to achieving. While he had some success earlier in his career, the three seasons prior to 2025 saw him fail to break a .200 batting average and post wRC+ numbers of 93 or below.

That will create some uncertainty in his market, and like Torres last year the Tigers may be able to capitalize. A long-term deal probably isn't in the cards for Grisham, so the Tigers could bring him in on a short-term pact, either a one-year deal like Torres or a two- or three-year deal with an opt-out after the first year.

That way, they can hedge their bets as Scott Harris seems intent on getting Detroit's top prospects into the bigs next season. That means Max Clark could be a factor in the outfield, but relying on a youngster who is yet to take an at-bat above Double-A is a risky proposition for a competing team like Detroit.

Grisham would allow them not to rush Clark, while still being able to work him in should he prove to be ready. Furthermore, should Grisham turn into a pumpkin, the Tigers would have Clark ready and waiting in the wings to usurp his position.

Like Torres before him, Grisham would be an ideal target to steal from the Yankees as the Tigers look to build a sustainable, long-term contender.