It’s not surprising that clubs are calling as Chisholm is very good and is having the best season of his career so far. He hit 31 home runs and stole 31 bases this year. His 27.9% strikeout rate was a bit high, but nothing new for him, while his 10.9% walk rate was a personal best. His .242/.332/.481 batting line led to a 126 wRC+, indicating he was 26% better than league average at the plate.
Defensively, he played quite a bit at second and third base in the first half. The Yanks eventually acquired Ryan McMahon and placed him in the hot corner, allowing Chisholm to establish himself as a regular second. Chisholm was credited with two defensive runs saved and eight outs above average in the cornerstone of the year. All told, FanGraphs found him worth 4.4 wins above replacement.
That performance makes him very attractive and so does his contractual situation. Chisholm is under club control for one more season, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him a salary of $10.2 million next year. That’s less than half of this year’s qualifying offering of $22.025 million.
All of these factors make Chisholm valuable to the Yankees in 2026, but he may not be in their long-term plans. He seems more interested in an extension than the club. That’s probably not an indictment of Chisholm himself, as the Yanks don’t do many extensions, with just three in the last decade and none in the last six. General manager Brian Cashman told Hoch this week that the club is “open-minded” about trade initiatives from other clubs looking for pitching upgrades.
In addition to bringing back pitching, a Chisholm trade would balance the lineup, as Cashman tells Hoch it’s too left-handed. They have two big right bats Aaron Judge And Giancarlo Stanton but Chisholm is one of many lefties, besides McMahon, Trent Grisham, Ben Rice And Austin Wells. Sofa guys JC Escarra And Jorbit is alive are also left-handed, while Jasson Dominguez And Oswaldo Cabrera are switch-hitters, with Domínguez hitting much better from the left side. Expectation Spencer Joneswho could enter the picture this year is also left-handed.
Trading Chisholm would leave a hole in the middle infield in the short term. Short stop Anthony Volpe recently underwent shoulder surgery and is expected to start on the injured list in 2026. That will leave Jose Caballero in short to start the season. Amed Rosario was signed recently, but essentially to be a short platoon guy as he is a righty who hits lefties well. Expectation George Lombard Jr. could be the shortstop of the future, but he is currently only 20 years old and has not yet reached Triple-A. Vivas and Cabrera are in the mix alongside Rosario as bench/utility guys.
Between Lombard, Volpe and Caballero, the Yankees may feel like they have enough to cover center field in the long run. But in 2026, Volpe’s uncertain health status and Lombard’s lack of experience make Chisholm a good bridge.
It’s possible that payroll could push the club to consider a trade now, which is an odd thing to say about the Yankees. Owner Hal Steinbrenner has previously expressed a desire to manage a payroll of less than $300 million. Cashman was recently noncommittal about whether the club would surpass that number by 2026. Grid source Currently they are pegged at a pure payroll of $261 million with a competitive balance sheet tax calculation of $285 million.
Trading Chisholm wouldn’t save a ton, but it would allow them to potentially strengthen their roster without heading to free agency. It is known that they are looking for pitching upgrades and they could also strengthen their outfield. It’s also theoretically possible to imagine the Yankees trading Chisholm for pitching, followed by a move to free agency to replace him, bypassing their payroll concerns. Bo Bichette And Hi Seong Kim are still available on the open market.
Front offices typically plan for all kinds of trade scenarios that don’t come to fruition. The second basic market currently offers many theoretical possibilities that may or may not lead anywhere. There have been a lot of rumors about guys like Kettle Marte of the Diamondbacks, Brendan Donovan of the cardinals, Jeff McNeil of the Mets, Brandon Lowe of the Rays and Jake Cronenworth of the Padres. With those other options, that could dilute what teams offer the Yankees. On the other hand, none of these guys are a barrier to movement, so perhaps teams are evaluating all possible paths. Clubs like the Giants, Mariners, Pirates, Guardians, Astros and others have been linked as second base trade candidates.
Photo courtesy of David Richard, Imagn Images
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