The New York Yankees reached the World Series last season with Alex Verdugo in left field, but what a difference a year makes.
Now, Verdugo doesn’t even have a job in Major League Baseball, while Trent Grisham is having a breakout campaign.
It’s a remarkable reminder of baseball’s unpredictability — how one career can collapse while another explodes in the span of months.
Verdugo, once viewed as a reliable everyday outfielder, has seen his value plummet after another season of steep regression.
Verdugo’s sharp decline
In 2024, Verdugo played 149 games for the Yankees, hitting .233/.291/.356 with 13 home runs and 61 RBIs.
That line resulted in an 84 wRC+, making him 16 percent worse than the average major league hitter overall.
It marked his third consecutive season of regression, raising concerns about whether his peak years were already behind him.
The Yankees still trotted him out in October, but his impact was minimal during their postseason run.
A failed stint in Atlanta
This year, Verdugo tried to reset his career with the Atlanta Braves but found even more struggles awaiting him.
Across 56 games, he hit .239/.296/.289, failed to hit a home run, and collected only 12 RBIs total.
His wRC+ dropped to 66, indicating he was 34 percent worse than the league average offensive player.
Even his defense, once considered a reliable strength, crumbled, leaving little reason for Atlanta to keep him rostered.
Grisham’s breakout season
Meanwhile, Trent Grisham, a player the Yankees barely tapped into last season, is enjoying a career year in 2025.
The 28-year-old outfielder is slashing .248/.354/.482 with 28 home runs, an .836 OPS, and a 134 wRC+.
That production places him 34 percent above the league average — a massive leap into legitimate All-Star caliber territory.
It’s the type of season that completely changes how a player is viewed heading into free agency this winter.
A missed opportunity for New York
Looking back, it’s wild to think the Yankees had Grisham sitting on the bench while Verdugo received postseason starts.
To be fair, nobody predicted Grisham’s 2025 explosion, but his tools always suggested untapped upside if given consistent chances.
Verdugo, on the other hand, looked like a player running out of steam, yet continued getting opportunities over his teammate.
That decision, in hindsight, feels like the Yankees betting on familiarity rather than trusting in potential breakout production.
Baseball’s unforgiving nature
Baseball careers often shift dramatically in short time spans, and the Verdugo-Grisham contrast embodies that unforgiving volatility.
One player now sits unemployed after his bat and glove betrayed him, while the other is set for a payday.
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The Yankees witnessed both arcs unfold in real time, gaining a new star while watching another flame out entirely.
In the end, it shows how quickly fortunes can flip in this sport — and how timing changes everything.