Phillies Should Stay Far Away From One Hitter in MLB Free Agency

The Philadelphia Phillies definitely need to make some moves in MLB free agency this offseason, and they particularly must address their outfield.

There will be some big bats available, such as Seiya Suzuki and Randy Arozarena, and Ian Happ could comprise a potential option, as well.

Overall, though, the free-agent crop is rather thin, which will result in some otherwise pedestrian or less-than-stellar players getting paid more than they should.

A perfect example is Trent Grisham, whom the Phillies should avoid at all costs.

Grisham spent the last three seasons with the New York Yankees and played out 2026 on a $22 million qualifying offer. That came after a breakout campaign in which Grisham smashed 34 home runs with an .811 OPS the year prior.

But it's looking more and more like Grisham's 2025 showing was a fluke.

The 30-year-old slashed just .211/.308/.395 with 18 homers and 59 RBI over 484 plate appearances this year, playing awful outfield defense in the process.

It's also worth noting that before Grisham's strange power surge in his second season with the Yankees, he had posted three consecutive campaigns in which he batted under .200.

Grisham is a lifetime .217 hitter with a .718 OPS, so what we saw in 2026 is much more in line with the hitter he actually is.

And that's not something Philadelphia should be pursuing.

There was a time when Grisham's defense helped compensate for his offensive shortcomings, but those days are long gone. Grisham is now a bad center fielder, and the Phillies should not even entertain the thought of bringing him aboard.

Yes, Grisham offers some pop, and his career 12.1 percent walk rate is impressive. But Philadelphia needs consistent hitters who are going to bring life to its lineup.

Grisham does not qualify.

The Phillies have much better options than Grisham this winter, although they will unfortunately need to pay up for them.

That's the reason why I could envision a world in which Philadelphia finds Grisham interesting on a cost-effective deal, but it's something Dave Dombrowski should unequivocally avoid.

Worst-case scenario, the Phillies can peruse the market for trades and see if there will be any outfielders available (like Steven Kwan, for example) who can come in and provide the ballclub with a boost.

Settling on Grisham as a fallback plan has "disaster" written all over it, and while it may not be quite as bad as Philadelphia signing Adolis Garcia last winter, it surely wouldn't be a whole lot better.