This is why moving the middle infielder would be incredibly detrimental to the Bombers.
Bottom line: Jazz Chisholm Jr. is a star
Chisholm is undoubtedly a top-three second baseman in the MLB and is one of the best center field talents in the sport both offensively and defensively. The biggest thing about him, though, is that he wants to be a Yankee.
“I don’t want to leave New York,” Chisholm said The Athletics. “If you ever played here, you would never want to leave.”
His versatility in the field has paid off for New York, as the country has been able to deploy him as a quality third baseman and second baseman, with five outs above average through 2025. Additionally, he still has the ability to play in strong center field, a position in which he developed his skills during his time with the Miami Marlins.
At the dish, Chisholm was a lightning rod for the Bombers this past season, slashing .242/.332/.481 en route to his first 30-30 season with 31 home runs and 31 stolen bases. Although he suffered from occasional slumps and streaky hitting last season, his impact was undoubtedly felt all over the field.
Cutting a player with Chisholm’s athleticism and impact on a baseball team, combined with the fact that he showed strong interest in staying with the Yankees long-term, simply wouldn’t make sense for New York.
If the Yankees Jazz Chisholm Jr. were to trade, who would they get?
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman recently said he was “open-minded” about trading the 27-year-old if it could strengthen their pitching staff.
With pitchers like Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt all expected to miss Opening Day, the Bombers could trade for starters like Freddy Peralta, Sandy Alcantara or MacKenzie Gore. While Peralta is more in line with Chisholm’s value, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him traded for a package of players from the Washington Nationals, including Gore and others.
While it would fill the need for some pitching help when the rotation recovers in the spring, opening another hole in the infield that was so perfectly plugged by Chisholm would be devastating for the Yankees down the stretch once the pitching staff is healthy again.
As a likely perennial 30-30 player who can take over a game both defensively and offensively, New York should look to lock up Chisholm to a long-term deal, not trade him away. Ultimately, this could come down to internal issues, a chess move for contract negotiations or just a passing offseason rumor, but one thing is certain: Chisholm’s future in the Bronx is anything but certain.
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