Yankees' Brian Cashman confident Trent Grisham can replicate 2025 results after accepting qualifying offer

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman recently said the return of Trent Grisham via the qualifying offer wouldn't prevent the club from pursuing a reunion with Cody Bellinger. But his sentiment on the matter then hasn't relaxed any fans bothered by the business decision now.

The speculation on Grisham's future ended Tuesday, when the veteran outfielder accepted the one-year, $22 million contract that guaranteed him a third season in pinstripes. And just two days after the falling of what could be a heavy domino, Cashman had to restate his offseason plan to those criticizing the move.

"Our first order of business, we got Grisham in the fold. One of our big hitters and defenders is back, so that solves one area of our needs," Cashman said Thursday, bundling up for his annual sleep on a Manhattan sidewalk for charity. "But we have two big important free agents who left us -- Grisham was one, Bellinger was another. We'd love to have Bellinger back."

Grisham's choice raised eyebrows across the league. Not only was he one of just four players who took the qualifying offer (nine declined), but he was also positioned to land a multi-year deal in free agency and capitalize on a breakout 2025 campaign.

Of course, the Yankees were comfortable with Grisham potentially returning -- after all, they extended him the contract two weeks ago. But the odds of the 29-year-old accepting it never seemed high, and therefore, Cashman is receiving outside flak for misreading the market value.

Cashman views the situation differently. He believes Grisham gives the Yankees "a little more comfort" and "a lot more certainty" as they search for players -- via free agency or trade -- to fill voids on their roster. He also wasn't surprised by Grishman's selection.

"I kind of thought 50-50 going into it when we made the offer," Cashman said. "We wouldn't have been surprised if he turned it down because it's a very weak outfield market... It was a close call. We made the offer because we thought if he takes it, we'd be fine if he took it and excited he's coming back because we believe he's capable of replicating what he did last year."

No matter how the winter plays out for the Yankees, they're banking on Grisham providing the same 30-homer, short-porch power he produced during a career season. But the back of Grisham's baseball card suggests his 2025 numbers were merely an aberration, as he's a career .218 hitter.

No surprise, Cashman disagrees. The Yankees anticipate an upward trajectory for Grisham, even though the baseline metrics and eye test indicate otherwise. 

"All the support information backs up the changes he made are real and should continue," Cashman said. "He did it all [in New York] and he was doing home and road too. It wasn't just the Yankee Stadium effect. It came unexpected. Thankful it did."

The Yankees' sights remain on Bellinger, and if they aren't confident in Jasson Dominguez or Spencer Jones properly developing in the outfield alongside Grisham and captain Aaron Judge, there's added urgency to make a big splash before negotiations intensify.

Bellinger is one of the top free-agent outfielders, and the Yankees should label him as a proven commodity. The former NL MVP smacked 29 homers with 98 RBI and an .813 OPS in his first season in the Bronx, while playing all three outfield positions and first base as a versatile defender.

It won't be easy for the Yankees to retain Bellinger, who should have many suitors entering his age-30 season. The lefty slugger produced the second-highest WAR (5.1) of his career in 2025, and also registered a career-low strikeout percentage (13.7) in 152 games.

Brian Cashman: Yankees have been in touch with Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger camps

The Yankees and Brian Cashman have a long offseason ahead of them.

After several key agents left in free agency, Cashman will look to retool his outfield and bullpen -- and perhaps add another starter -- before the start of the 2026 season. One chip that has fallen the Yankees' way is the return of Trent Grisham.

The veteran outfielder accepted his qualifying offer and gives Cashman another outfielder alongside Aaron Judge. However, Cashman isn't necessarily content with just bringing in Grisham. He's been in contact with agents for the top two outfielders in the free agent market: Cody Bellinger and Kyle Tucker.

"We’d love to have Bellinger come back," Cashman told the media Thursday night at his annual Covenant House Sleep Out in NYC. "Talked to [agent Scott] Boras yesterday about Belli and other free agents of his. Talked to Casey Close about his free agents; he’s got Kyle Tucker, amongst others. That’s the nature of the beast in the winter. Had several conversations with teams today, try to find a way to make a trade or add a free agent and keep going and going and going."

Close also represents Paul Goldschmidt, Michael King and Kyle Schwarber.

Bellinger was the team's second-best hitter behind Judge this past season. The versatile outfielder hit 29 home runs to go along with .272 batting average and 98 RBI, all while playing a Gold Glove-level left field. 

The 30-year-old opted out of his contract this offseason and will likely look to get a big payday after doing so well in the Bronx. The Yankees aren't the only team vying for Bellinger's services, as the Blue Jays, Mets and even Bellinger's old team, the Dodgers, have shown interest. 

And then there's Tucker. Arguably the best free agent hitter on the market, regardless of position, Tucker will enter free agency for the first time after being traded from the Astros to the Cubs last offseason. 

The 28-year-old had a solid year, blasting 22 home runs and driving in 73 runs while hitting .266 on the North Side. He made his fourth All-Star team in 2025 and won his second Silver Slugger this offseason. 

Whether Cashman can pull off that signing is yet to be known, but the veteran GM is doing his due diligence to try and get the Yankees their first World Series win since 2009. And Cashman knows he needs to make his team better, and he hopes to do that this winter.

"The team that we had last year, which was really good on paper, but fell short of our ultimate goal, is now depleted because of free agency," Cashman said. "We have to at least get back to where we were, but the ultimate goal is to make it better. Got a lot more work to do and the whole winter to do it."

NHL Rumors: Should Canadiens Target Blues Forward?

Alexandre Texier (© Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)© Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

In his most recent 32 Thoughts column, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman questioned if the Montreal Canadiens could make sense as a landing spot for St. Louis Blues forward Alexandre Texier. This was after he reported that rumors are out there that Texier is considering terminating his contract with the Blues.

Following Friedman's column, the Blues placed Texier on regular waivers on Nov. 20. However, Friedman also noted that the Blues and Texier could still mutually terminate his contract if he goes through regular waivers unclaimed. 

With Texier being available on regular waivers, should the Canadiens consider claiming him before his current contract potentially gets terminated? The 26-year-old center currently has a $2.1 million cap hit until the end of this season, which is not necessarily cheap for his role. He has also not played much this season, posting one assist in eight games so far. This is after he had six goals and 11 points in 31 games with St. Louis this past season. 

Texier has shown in the past that he can produce decent offense, as he posted career highs with 12 goals, 18 assists, and 30 points in 78 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023-24. This was after he had 11 goals and 20 points in just 36 games with Columbus during the 2021-22 season. 

Overall, while Texier could be a decent depth pickup for the Canadiens, his current $2.1 million cap hit could very well make the Canadiens stay away. However, if he clears regular waivers and then gets his current contract terminated by the Blues, he could be a low-risk target for the Canadiens to bring in at a lower price through free agency. 

NHL Trade Rumors: Penguins Have 2 New Targets To Consider

Brad Lambert (© Brett Holmes-Imagn Images)

The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a nice start to the season, as they have a 10-5-4 record and are third in the Metropolitan Division. When noting that they had low expectations heading into the season, there is no question that fans should be happy with how they have played out of the gate. 

With the Penguins starting the year off so well, they should be open to the idea of adding to their roster. However, with Pittsburgh retooling, they should specifically pursue young players who would help them beyond this season.

Two interesting young players recently entered the rumor mill who would have the potential to be a strong addition to the Penguins' roster. Let's discuss both of them now. 

Brad Lambert, F, Winnipeg Jets 

NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported that the Jets have granted Brad Lambert permission to seek a trade. When noting that Lambert is a former first-round pick and just 21 years old, he stands out as a potential fit for the Penguins. 

Lambert has had trouble cementing himself as a full-time NHL player with the Jets, but he certainly could change that on a team like the Penguins. The young forward has good potential and could become a nice part of Pittsburgh's roster if he takes that next step. 

Pavel Mintyukov, D, Anaheim Ducks 

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman recently reported that Mintyukov would like a trade from the Ducks if he continues to be scratched. If Mintyukov does become available, the Penguins should make a major push for the young blueliner. 

The Penguins should be looking to improve the left side of their defense. A player like Mintyukov could very well grab their attention, as he is also a former first-round pick who is only 21 years old. He has also already shown promise at the NHL level, as he recorded four goals and 28 points in 63 games during his rookie year in 2023-24. 

Kings Vs Sharks Game Preview: Kings Looking to Win a Divisional Game

The LA Kings are in San Jose to take on the Sharks in a key divisional matchup. 

The Kings are coming off a 2-1 loss against the Washington Capitals as they look to try to leap ahead of Vegas for second in the Pacific. The Sharks are coming off a 3-2 overtime win over the Utah Mammoth, which saw Macklin Celebrini score a hat-trick. 

Projected Kings Lines

Here are the projected lines for the Kings:

Andrei Kuzmenko - Anze Kopitar - Trevor Moore

Kevin Fiala - Quinton Byfield - Adrian Kempe

Warren Foegele - Phillip Danault - Alex Laferriere

Joel Armia - Alex Turcotte - Corey Perry

Mikey Anderson - Brian Dumoulin

Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke

Jacob Moverare - Cody Ceci

Anton Forsberg

Phoenix Copley

Projected Sharks Lines

Here are the projected lines for the Sharks: 

Philipp Kurashev - Macklin Celebrini - Will Smith

William Eklund - Alexander Wennberg - Tyler Toffoli

Adam Gaudette - Ty Dellandrea - Collin Graf

Barclay Goodrow - Zack Ostapchuk - Ryan Reaves

Dmitry Orlov - Timothy Liljegren

Mario Ferraro - John Klingberg

Sam Dickinson - Vincent Desharnais

Yaroslav Askarov

Alex Nedeljkovic

Lines and Injuries 

The Kings will be without Darcy Kuemper tonight as he is scratched, so Phoenix Copley will back up Anton Forsberg. Andrei Kuzmenko returns to the lineup after being scratched in the last couple of games, and he will be on the first line alongside Kopitar and Moore. The second line for the Kings has also been altered, with Fiala, Byfield, and Kempe now on it, which could prove deadly for the Kings. The Kings also placed Drew Doughty on injured reserve. The Sharks are missing both Michael Misa and Jeff Skinner due to lower-body injuries. 

Key Factors

The Kings have to be aware of the young guys on this Sharks team. Macklin Celebrini has been one of the best players in the NHL this season, and his connection with Will Smith is something the Kings will have to pay attention to. The Kings, on the other hand, have switched up their entire lineup, and their second line on paper is seemingly their best line heading into tonight's game, so that line will be relied upon. 

The Kings will have to attack the Sharks' defence, as per NHL Edge, which ranks last in the NHL in defensive zone play. If the Kings can be in the offensive zone and generate chances while building momentum, they will score goals and succeed. 

If the Kings can get going offensively tonight, they can push the Sharks and walk away with a win. My prediction for tonight's game is a 4-1 Kings win. 

Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

Semenyo can lift Bournemouth, Isak must show up for Liverpool and north London derby rivals left to rue injuries

A Mancunian reunion of sorts is on the cards should Kyle Walker of Burnley face Alejandro Garnacho on Chelsea’s left at Turf Moor. The winger has started to settle at Stamford Bridge after his summer move from Manchester United and showcased his range against Wolves before the international break. His assist for Pedro Neto combined wicked pace with a perfect ball along the carpet. His setup for Malo Gusto involved shifting on to his right foot before a dinked cross to the far post. His celebration with Neto, replicating his sitting embrace with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmund Højlund, was a reminder of how quickly things change. The last time Garnacho took on Walker? When the former scored for United in their FA Cup final win over Manchester City. Taha Hashim

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Providence Bruins Sign Christian Wolanin And Shawn Element To PTOs

The Providence Bruins announced they have signed Calder Cup champion defenseman Christian Wolanin and forward Shawn Element to Professional Tryouts (PTOs).

Wolanin had 40 points in 58 regular season games before adding 10 points in 17 playoff games with the Abbotsford Canucks last season, playing a major role in the team winning the Calder Cup. 

The 30-year-old was arguably the top available AHL free agent before signing the PTO.

A native of Quebec, Que., he won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL's Best Defenseman, was named to the league's First All-Star Team and led the league in points by a defenseman in 2022-23. 

A fourth round selection of the Ottawa Senators in 2015, Wolanin is third on the Abbotsford Canucks all-time scoring list. He has 177 points in 238 career AHL games and 23 points in 86 career NHL games. 

Element has one goals, five points and 28 penalty minutes in six games with the ECHL's Maine Mariners this season.

The 25-year-old has 29 goals, 55 points and 263 penalty minutes in 208 career AHL games with the Ontario Reign and Syracuse Crunch.

Rangers Vs. Avalanche Preview, Projected Lineup, Notable Storylines

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers are set to play the Colorado Avalanche tonight at 9 PM EST at Ball Arena.

Here’s all you need to know ahead of this matchup: 

Projected Lineup:

Forwards:

Will Cuylle - Mika Zibanejad - Alexis Lafrenière

Artemi Panarin - Vincent Trocheck - J.T. Miller

Jonny Brodzinski - Noah Laba - Conor Sheary

Adam Edström - Sam Carrick - Taylor Raddysh

Defensemen:

Vladislav Gavrikov - Adam Fox

Carson Soucy - Braden Schneider

Scott Morrow - Matthew Robertson

Goaltenders: 

Igor Shesterkin 

Jonathan Quick 

Notable Storylines: 

  • Igor Shesterkin is set to start for the Rangers. 
  • The Rangers are coming off of a 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
  • Will Borgen is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. 
  • The Rangers currently hold a 10-9-2 record. 
  • The Avalanche are coming off of a 4-1 win over the Islanders.

Mets planning to non-tender LHP Danny Young: report

With MLB's non-tender deadline set for Nov. 21, the Mets are set to release one of their depth relievers.

According to The Athletic's Will Sammon, the Mets are planning to non-tender LHP Danny Young, making him a free agent.

Young, 31, appeared in 10 games for the Mets this season before undergoing Tommy John surgery in May. Sammon reports that Young started throwing recently and is on pace to return at some point in the first half of the 2026 season.

The Florida native was not arbitration-eligible and was set to make about $820,000 in 2025, according to Spotrac. 

The southpaw was drafted in the eighth round by the Blue Jays in 2015 but didn't appear in the majors until 2022 with the Mariners. That season, he made just three appearances between Seattle and the Braves. He then made eight relief appearances with the Braves in 2023 before going down with an injury. He elected free agency that offseason and the Mets signed him to a minor league contract in 2024. 

In his first season with the Mets, Young pitched to a 4.54 ERA across 42 relief appearances. 

Young may not be the only player to be non-tendered by Friday's deadline. There are nine arbitration-eligible players on the Mets' roster, including Tylor Megill and David Peterson.

 

Mike Sullivan Adjusts Top-Six Forward Line Combinations Due To Lack Of Offensive Production

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Mike Sullivan made a significant shake-up to his top-six forward unit ahead of the New York Rangers’ Thursday night matchup against the Colorado Avalanche.

During Thursday’s practice, J.T. Miller was moved to a line with Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin, while Alexis Lafrenière played on a line alongside Mika Zibanejad and Will Cuylle. 

Before the start of the season, Miller and Zibanejad specifically emphasized their desire to play together to Sullivan, who obliged to their request. 

However, the duo hasn’t had the same level of success compared to the second half of last season, and Sullivan felt it was time to split them up with the hopes of elevating his top-six unit.

“We're trying to find some combinations here that give us a more consistent threat offensively,” Sullivan said of his line changes. “Although I think Troch's line has drove a lot of offense, I feel like Mika and J.T., in the last handful of games, haven't been as effective offensively. So sometimes, to effect a little bit of change from a personnel standpoint, can help those guys capture their best games.”

These adjustments also come after Miller voiced his disappointment in himself regarding his offensive struggles to kick off the 2025-26 season. 

Miller has scored just one goal over the last nine games, and he knows that he’s capable of producing at a higher level. 

“At some point you look in the mirror,” Miller said. “Speaking on behalf of myself, I certainly expect a hell of a lot more production than what I have. I've never really gauged my game on points, and I said that a lot. Typically, when I bring my game, the points come. That being said, this year, it seems like nothing's really going in the net. We've got a big enough sample size that 25% of the season is gone, and we're in a lot of 1-goal games. 

Rangers' Penalty-Kill Struggles And J.T. Miller's Harsh Criticism Of Himself Headline Loss To Golden Knights Rangers' Penalty-Kill Struggles And J.T. Miller's Harsh Criticism Of Himself Headline Loss To Golden Knights The New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers">Rangers</a> started their three-game road trip on a sour note, losing 3-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night.&nbsp;

“If I can raise my personal standard and lead the team a little bit better production-wise, I think our outcome in these games are going to change. So it's making me frustrated. It's hard to control that…Trust me, it's on my mind, but same time, come a long way, in a sense, of not getting wrapped up in that s–t.”

In the middle of the Rangers’ game against the Golden Knights on Tuesday night, Sullivan elevated Jonny Brodzinski to the line with Miller and Zibanejad, moving Cuylle to the third line alongside Noah Laba and Conor Sheary. 

Sullivan admitted he made those changes because he wasn’t satisfied with what the Miller-Zibanejad-Cuylle line was giving him offensively.

“I made a switch to Mika's line just because I didn't think they were getting much, so I was trying to effect a little bit of change,” Sullivan said.

You should expect to see these newly established top-six line combinations tonight in Colorado.

Lakers fire much of scouting staff in reorganization, including Joey and Jesse Buss

In the first major move of the Mike Walters era of the Lakers, the team has fired most of its scouting staff in a reorganization, including front office executives Joey and Jesse Buss — who are and remain part-owners of the team (along with the rest of their family).

This news was first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN and was confirmed by NBC Sports. The Lakers organization has not announced the changes.

Joey and Jesse Buss both spent their lives in the Lakers organization and worked their way up, their positions were not handed to them on a silver platter because of their last name. They were respected around the league — Jesse was the Lakers' draft guru and Director of Scouting (as well as assistant general manager), and the brothers together helped the Lakers land Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Max Christie and others. Joey Buss was listed by the team as alternate governor and vice president of research and development. The Buss brothers released this statement to Charania.

"We are extremely honored to have been part of this organization for the last 20 seasons. Thank you to Laker Nation for embracing our family every step of the way. We wish things could be different with the way our time ended with the team. At times like this we wish we could ask our Dad what he would think about it all."

If that sounds a little bitter toward longtime owner turned team operating governor Jeanie Buss, it was just the start. Check out Jesse's statements to Charania — echoing what he told Dan Woike of The Athletic — which were more direct:

"Dr. Buss' idea was for Joey and I to run basketball operations one day. But Jeanie has effectively kept herself in place with her siblings fired."

After Dr. Jerry Buss's passing, Jeanie became team governor, and Jim Buss ran basketball operations. After a few rough seasons on the court, Jeanie removed Jim from basketball operations and hired the current president of basketball operations, Rob Pelinka.

The writing was on the wall that changes to the Lakers' scouting operation were coming after the $10 billion sale of the franchise to Walter. It's why Joey and Jesse founded their own sports investment and strategic partnership company three months ago.

Even before the house cleaning on Thursday, the Lakers had one of the smallest scouting staffs in the NBA — both in terms of scouting other teams and players, as well as potential future draft picks — and it was one area Walters was expected to invest early. It is a clear place of need for the franchise. Precisely what that new structure looks like — and who will be brought in to head it — remains to be seen.

Sabres Display Head-Scratching Effort In Loss To Flames

The Buffalo Sabres apparently believed that they had found the winning formula after a pair of victories over Detroit and Edmonton, but must have forgotten that they had lost eight of the previous nine games and were at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. The Sabres stunning lack of consistency was on display in a 6-2 loss to the NHL bottom-dwelling Calgary Flames on Wednesday.

The Sabres allowed the Flames to take an early 2-0 lead before rallying in the middle frame with goals from Mattias Samuelsson and Tage Thompson. Calgary, who had lost 5-2 in Chicago on Tuesday and started backup goalie Devin Cooley in the second of back-to-back games, retook the lead early in the third on a Morgan Frost goal and proceeded to pull away with a pair of goals from Mikael Backlund and Joel Farabee 2:16 apart. 

After the game, Thompson was at a loss to explain the club’s inability to rise to the occasion against teams like Calgary and St. Louis on home ice, who are both at the bottom of the Western Conference standings.  

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 "I thought all game we were pretty sloppy with the puck when we did have it, especially through the neutral zone, trying to force stuff," Thompson said. "I think get a little too high on ourselves after a couple wins. I think we're better than we are. Instead of remembering what got us those wins. I thought the other game against Edmonton, we were really hard to play against. I thought today we were really easy, really light on the puck and anytime you're doing that and you're going to lose games."

Head coach Lindy Ruff was unsparing in his critique of the club, saying that his club had an opportunity early in the game to outwork the other team, but the opposite occurred and that the Sabres just wanted things to be easy. 

"In the third period, we got beat to the net. Two goals around net front. We weren't strong enough. Our power play could have changed the direction of the game. They weren't good enough. Execution. Their puck movement wasn't good enough," Ruff said.  "We lost too many battles. I mean, as a group, there wasn't a lot of players to like in the game. If you want to break down every goal, somebody got outmuscled somewhere. Somebody got a beat back up ice."

Buffalo continues their four-game homestand on Friday against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks. 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram  @MikeInBuffalo

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