Angels feel like an obvious fit for Trent Grisham (and that's exactly the problem)

In the abstract, the Los Angeles Angels would do well to add a left-handed power bat with the ability to draw walks. In 2026, the Angels' 8.4% walk rate ranked 24th in MLB, and their left-handed hitters hit a league-low 29 home runs. If said player can play center field, even better, since Mike Trout would prefer to move to left field.

Such a player might exist on this year's free-agent market in the form of New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham. Grisham posted walk rates of 14.1% and 12.6% in 2025 and 2026, respectively. He hit 34 homers in 2025 and 18 in just 121 games due to injuries in 2026. He's a natural center fielder with two Gold Gloves on his resume. These are the reasons why outlets like Bleacher Report are naming him a fit for the Halos.

Unfortunately, the idea of Trent Grisham is better than what he can reasonably be expected to bring to the table in 2027. The 34-dinger 2025 campaign was by far a career outlier, and his plunge back to earth this year (despite the walks and relatively solid homer total), when he hit .211/.308/.395, is more indicative of the performance at the plate we can expect moving forward.

His defense is in an even more concerning state. His -8 defensive runs saved was tied with Trout and Phillies center fielder Justin Crawford for the second-worst performance among qualified players at the position. His -6 outs above average was dead last. His average sprint speed ranks in the 34th percentile, and at times he's been clocked running at the same speed as mid-30s catchers like Christian Vazquez

With a history of hamstring injuries, it's unlikely that Grisham's defense gets better any time soon. On top of that, defense has long been an issue for Los Angeles, so adding a player like Grisham would only see the team moving backwards, given the fact that his Gold Glove days are long gone.

Above all else, signing Trent Grisham would be a repeat of past failed Angels' processes

In recent years, the Angels have signed one or two mid-level free agents as their premier acquisition and then fill out the rest of the roster with bargain-basement additions. Signing Yusei Kikuchi to be the ace of the staff heading into 2025 is one example. Signing Robert Stephenson to close games is another.

On top of that, the Halos were blinded by outlier performance in both of those cases, and signing Grisham a year removed from a career year would be a similar misstep.

This isn't to say that signing mid-tier free agents is always a bad idea. Sometimes, you can find real value there. However, they work best when paired with signing stars, at least until the talent level of the roster is built up to the point where what's needed is just a tweak here or there.

The Angels aren't there yet, so for the myriad of issues laid out above, it's in their best interest to stay far away from Trent Grisham and let someone else fall for the trap of signing a mid-level veteran who comes without the qualifying-offer baggage. As tempting as it might seem to keep a draft pick in your pocket, Grisham still isn't worth the risk, and Los Angeles must focus on doing things differently moving forward.

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