Juan Soto isn’t the only one coming to the Bronx this offseason. So is MLBbro Trent Grisham.
On Wednesday night, the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres put together a blockbuster deal to send young superstar Soto to the Bronx along with Grisham.
The Padres received right-handed pitchers Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vasquez, Drew Thorpe, and catcher Kyle Higashioka.
Who Is MLBbro Trent Grisham?
Last season, the Padres had one of the highest payrolls in the majors; however, they underperformed.
Grisham put up steady numbers but struggled to recapture his all-around game. He batted 198. for the season and knocked in 50 RBIs and 13 home runs.
In five seasons (rookie season spent with Milwaukee Brewers) Grisham has accumulated three campaigns of double-digit homers and stolen bases, so he’s a weapon that the Yankees don’t have in abundance.
The centerfielder now has a new home until his contract is up in two years. Grisham could have better numbers like his outfield counterpart Soto, but he may consume the depth role. Grisham is not shy to be available. In his last two seasons, he played almost every game. Coming off the bench might be an adjustment for the outfielder, as he started nearly all of the games last year for the Padres.
With the hopes of Grisham embracing the bench role, he put together a solid career thus far. Grisham was drafted in 2015 in the first round by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 15th pick.
After being drafted, Grisham was sent down to the minors.
Grisham played double-A and triple-A for the next three years. In that time in the minors, he put together solid stats and showed signs of a promising young star.
In 2019, he got the call-up by appearing in 51 games that year. In those games, Grisham finished with a 231—batting average.
This showed the potential.
Milwaukee traded Grisham to the Padres. He spent the next four years as San Diego’s starting centerfielder. Those next four years would be an up-and-down adventure as Grisham remained a starter but couldn’t find his footing at the plate. During the Covid-shortened season, he would manage a career-best .251 batting average. Through it all, Grisham has produced some exciting moments, flashed great potential and out in work off the field.
How Does Grisham Fit With Yankees?
With Grisham coming over in this trade, it puts the Yankees in a good spot to make the offseason. There are numerous ways the Yanks can use him. He might get put on the bench along with others, like Isaia Kinner-Falfa, the utility player.
Grisham will round out the bench perfectly and provide a winning mentality in the locker room, which is something the Yankees could use. Yankees teams in recent years have often struggled with its share of egos and injury.
A new exciting piece could provide everybody with a revamped mindset. Grisham has two years left on his contract, and it’s not expensive. $4.2 million is what Grisham is going to be owed in his deal. This allows the Yankees to make him an affordable piece they could potentially move for upgraded pitching later on in the game.
In a recent interview with the YES Network, Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said:
“We want the best team possible; after this trade, we think we can compete for a championship,” Cashman said.
This could mean Grisham can be traded again before the season starts or at the end of this year. However, the scenario plays out: the Yankees have improved their chances of competing for a World Series and Trent Grisham can become a crucial piece to this New York clubhouse.
Just ask LA Angels first base coach Bo Porter and MLB Network.
Charles Nyonga discusses Washington Nationals cornerstone pieces in 6-foot-7 slugger James Wood and SS CJ Abrams, both acquired in the Juan Soto trade. Top 2022 draft pick Elijah Green completes the latest addition of soul power to Chocolate City.
The Juan Soto trade to the San Diego Padres was bound to happen, and with it came some real fruit for the rebuilding Washington Nationals. The name that resonates most from the trade is shortstop C.J. Abrams. But lost in the shuffle, somehow even though he stands a towering 6-foot-7, is center fielder, James Wood, a Rockville, MD native who’s been assigned to the FredNats minor league team.
Wood joined the FredNats during a recent road trip. Wood detailed how he found out that he was dealt in the Soto deal mega-deal.
“I was just sitting there refreshing and I saw my name and was like, Damn, I guess I’m headed back home.”
Wood will now get to play close to home, and that’s just fine with FredNats manager Jake Lowery who seemed enamored by Wood’s rare power.
“He was hitting balls over the batter’s eye during BP. We’d been there five days and no one had done that.”
The Nationals' newly acquired OF prospect James Wood went 4-for-6 with a two-run homer in his debut with the FredNats on Friday.
Davey Martinez is excited about the young talent recently added to the Nationals system. https://t.co/odq3yEQYXy
Wood Has Elite Power: Nats May Have A Future Slugging Outfielder
Prior to his arrival back in the DMV, the Padres 2021 second-round pick was batting (.321 with a (.996 OPS). Wood also hit ten homers, and even went deep in his FredNats debut, much to the delight of Lowery.
“He’s a lefty with some power. He can hit the ball the other way and he kind of glides on the bases. He’s really fast. I’m excited to watch him play more than three games.”
That skillset will be a welcomed sight for a Nationals team at some point, that’s looking to replenish the talent on the roster. One that lacked both speed and power, something Wood brings in abundance.
Wood is a confident guy as well, he believes in his abilities to come through with runners in scoring position.
“If you need me to drive in some runs, I can do that. If you need me to get on base, if you need me to steal a bag, I can do that. Whatever your team needs to win, I can provide that. I can do that.”
The 19-year-old Wood has been likened to Houston Astros slugger Yordan Álvarez, who hit 27 home runs as a rookie in 2019, and 33 in 2021. This season Álvarez currently has 31 moonshots, good enough for third in baseball. If Wood can be anything close to what Álvarez has been the Nationals have struck gold.
The days of forecasting, guessing and debating about player movement finally ended at the trading deadline on Tuesday as the deal between the Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres stole the headlines and news cycle.
It was no surprise to anyone that Juan Soto was on his way out of Washington after turning down a massive 15-year, $440 million offer from the Nationals. It wasn’t a question of when Soto was leaving as opposed to where he was going. With the Padres having a cache of young talent to offer the Nats, that was the tipping point to make the deal.
The deal, which has not yet been totally finalized at the time of publication, is as follows:
The San Diego Padres receive:
Outfielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell
The Washington Nationals receive:
Left-handed pitcher, Mackenzie Gore and outfielder, Robert Hassell III, Shortstop C.J. Abrams and Outfielder, James Wood. One more player to be named later.
Went on SportsCenter to talk about the Juan Soto blockbuster. We will have much, much more on our trade deadline special today from 4 to 6 p.m. on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/WigOpc8fFU
While Juan Soto is the undisputed headliner that was no surprise, it is a mild surprise that our MLBbro, Josh Bell was added in the deal even though we had monitored possible moves for over a month. MLBro.com had San Diego on the radar as one of Bell’s possible destinations.
MLBbro.com:
“The Padres realize that the Dodgers have no issues opening up the bankbook to get the best players on the market no matter the cost. Josh Bell can add some offensive power to compete with their loaded division rivals.”
“Like the Dodgers, the Padres have a quality first baseman in Eric Hosmer, but they need help in the DH spot”.
Speaking of Eric Hosmer, he is the reason that the deal is not officially complete yet. He rejected the trade with his no trade clause and either has to sign off on the deal or a third team has to be a part of the deal. Most recent reports have him waiving his no-trade clause and going to the Red Sox in a deal.
With Eric Hosmer out of the Juan Soto trade after rejecting a deal to Washington, the Boston Red Sox swooped in and will acquire him from San Diego, sources tell ESPN. The finances are unclear: Padres could pick up a chunk of money — or could send along a prospect with Hosmer.
The undisputed jewel for right now in this deal is our MLBbro, Josh Bell. While Soto has put 21 balls in the seats with 46 RBI, he is hitting .an uncharacteristic 246 for the season, which makes Bell’s short-term contributions all the more impressive this season.
Our MLBbro is hitting a career high .301 with 14 homers and 57 RBI. The former 2019 All-Star has produced 127 dingers with 454 RBI over his career. The Padres may have collected the best hitter in the open market in a virtual steal. A change in mechanics and mindset this year allows him to be a better opposite field hitter while cutting down strikeouts.
Now while San Diego’s odds of winning a World Series has shot through the roof, the Nationals sit at the bottom of the MLB standings and have officially started a total rebuild, having lost four of their last five games. That doesn’t mean Washington did not accomplish their short-term goal of getting young talent to develop.
Two MLBbro prospects are arriving in Washington by the names of C.J. Abrams and James Wood.
C.J. Abrams:
Abrams was San Diego’s top prospect and was ranked sixth in the MiLB rankings in 2021. After spending time in the Double A affiliate San Antonio Missions last year, he was called up this season and has impressed many with his defense and his willingness to use the entire field at the plate.
Our 21-year-old MLBbro has hitting slashes of .231/.280/.322 in 134 plate appearances. This small sample size should not be used as an indictment of his budding potential. The Nationals are very well known for their player development and Abrams should flourish with more opportunities on the field to finish the season.
James Wood:
This analysis is basically the minor league prospect version of the Juan Soto/Juan Bell analysis above. While C.J. Abrams is the coveted acquisition with unbridled potential, James Wood could be the diamond in the rough that could become a star in the future. Even though James is in the Single A ranks, he is tearing up the league with a hitting slash of .337/.453/.601 with 10 homers. This includes a three homer, seven steal stretch in 21 games after returning from a wrist injury.
Wood is a 6-foot-7 tower weighing 240 pounds with power, athleticism and speed that the Nationals front office can sell to its fanbase with comparisons to a famous player in New York named Aaron Judge.
He’s also the son of former University of Richmond basketball standout Kenny Wood.
UR Hall of Famer Wood (1990-93), who was a 6-foot-5 forward, scored 1,427 points to go with 717 rebounds. James Wood lived with his family in Olney, Md., and attended St. John’s College High School in Washington.
Projections have the talented Wood ready for the big leagues in 2025, but don’t underestimate the selling point of this MLBbro. With Washington’s record and offensive fire sale trading away their two best contributors, the franchise may have a lot of explaining to do on what their plans are for the future.
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