Longtime Blue Jays outfielder making Yankees pay for their lack of faith

Once upon a time, Randal Grichuk was a mainstay in the Toronto Blue Jays' lineup, appearing in 479 games with the team over the course of four seasons. For the price of Dominic Leone and Conner Greene, the slugging outfielder proved to be a wise investment during a rebuilding period.

However, towards the end of the five-year, $52 million contract he signed with the Blue Jays, he was traded once again to the Colorado Rockies, this time for Raimel Tapia. Thus began the journeyman phase of Grichuk's career, as he's played for six teams in the past five years.

He finally wound up back in the AL East when the Yankees signed him during spring training back in February, but his playing days appeared to be on life support once they cut him loose after less than a month (and just 33 plate appearances) into his tenure in the Bronx.

Thankfully, the White Sox gave him another chance, and Grichuk has made it his personal vendetta to prove the Yankees wrong.

Former Blue Jay Randal Grichuk is rubbing his success in the Yankees' faces right now

If there were an award for best mid-season pickup by a team, Grichuk's name would be on the shortlist in 2026. Through his first 71 games in Chicago, the 35-year-old is hitting a robust .291/.321/.589 (149 wRC+) with 26 extra-base hits. For reference, the highest slugging percentage among Blue Jays players with at least 100 plate appearances this season is Kazuma Okamoto's .432 mark.

Yes, there are still huge holes in Grichuk's game, including a near-nonexistent walk rate and an xwOBA that sits nearly 40 points below his actual results. But he's been a revelation with the White Sox, propelling them into AL Central contention far sooner than anyone expected.

That's made all the sweeter by the fact that the Yankees clearly need him. Aaron Judge (when he was healthy) and Ben Rice have produced like superstars this year, but their next-best slugger is 38-year-old Paul Goldschmidt. Their offense has slipped below average in a weak American League, mostly due to its top-heavy nature.

Yes, this may sound like throwing stones from a glass house considering the Blue Jays rank worse than their AL East rivals in most offensive categories this season. But they're not the ones who cut Grichuk loose for nothing in April, nor are they the ones trying to compensate for the long-term absence of Judge.

So, let's all root for Grichuk to keep doing his thing, especially if it means Yankees fans will keep berating their front office for letting him go.

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