Teams have shown interest in infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. and the Yankees have listened, according to reporting from Bryan Hoch of MLB.com and Jeff Passan of ESPN. Neither report suggests the Yanks are shopping him or are even likely to move him, but it’s notable that other clubs are exploring the possibility.
It’s unsurprising that clubs would call, as Chisholm is very good and coming off 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 a decent amount of second and third base in the first half. The Yanks eventually acquired Ryan McMahon and put him at the hot corner, which allowed Chisholm to settle in as the regular at second. Chisholm was credited with two Defensive Runs Saved and eight Outs Above Average at the keystone on the year. Put it all together and FanGraphs considered him to be worth 4.4 wins above replacement.
That performance makes him very attractive and his contractual situation does as well. Chisholm is under club control for one more season with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a salary of $10.2MM next year. That’s less than half of this year’s $22.025MM qualifying offer.
All of those factors make Chisholm valuable for the Yankees in 2026 but he may not be in their long-term plans. He has seemingly been more interested in an extension than the club has. That’s probably not an indictment of Chisholm himself as the Yanks don’t do many extensions, with just three in the past decade and none in the past six years. General manager Brian Cashman tells Hoch this week that the club is “open-minded” about trade overtures coming from other clubs as they look for pitching upgrades.
In addition to bringing back pitching, a Chisholm trade would balance out the lineup, as Cashman tells Hoch it is too left-handed. They have two big righty bats in Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton but Chisholm is one of several lefties, alongside McMahon, Trent Grisham, Ben Rice and Austin Wells. Bench guys J.C. Escarra and Jorbit Vivas are also lefties, while Jasson Domínguez and Oswaldo Cabrera are switch-hitters, with Domínguez hitting much better from the left side. Prospect Spencer Jones, who could work his way into the picture this year, is also a lefty.
Trading Chisholm would leave a hole in the middle infield in the short term. Shortstop Anthony Volpe recently underwent shoulder surgery and is expected to start 2026 on the injured list. That will leave José Caballero at short to begin the season. Amed Rosario was recently signed but essentially to be a short-side platoon guy, as he’s a righty who hits lefties well. Prospect George Lombard Jr. could be the shortstop of the future but he’s currently only 20 years old and hasn’t reached Triple-A yet. Vivas and Cabrera are in the mix as bench/utility guys alongside Rosario.
Between Lombard, Volpe and Caballero, perhaps the Yankees feel they have enough to cover the middle infield 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 the payroll pushes 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 run a payroll under $300MM. Cashman was recently noncommittal about whether the club would eclipse that number in 2026. RosterResource currently has them pegged for a pure payroll of $261MM with a competitive balance tax calculation of $285MM.
Trading Chisholm wouldn’t save a ton but it would allow them to potentially bolster their roster without going to free agency. They are known to be looking for pitching upgrades and could look to bolster their outfield as well. It’s also theoretically possible to imagine the Yankees trading Chisholm for pitching, followed by a pivot to free agency to replace him, blowing past their payroll concerns. Bo Bichette and Ha-Seong Kim are still out there on the open market.
Front offices generally consider all sorts of trade scenarios that don’t come to fruition. The second base market currently features many theoretical possibilities which may or may not lead anywhere. There have been plenty of rumors surrounding guys like Ketel 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 to the Yankees. On the other hand, none of those guys are a lock to move, so perhaps teams are evaluating all potential paths. Clubs like the Giants, Mariners, Pirates, Guardians, Astros and others have been connected to the second base trade candidates.
Photo courtesy of David Richard, Imagn Images
Another day, another Pirates rumor for an off-season theyll again do nothing.
His name was mentioned before he ended up with the Yankees. If the Pirates passed back then they will probably pass again.
Jazzy Jazz!!! 🎶
I hope the Yankees keep him long-term. He’s prone to bone head plays but it comes from trying to make the spectacular play and not just stupidity.
Same, Joe!
I wouldn’t hold my breath. Sounds like he will be lucky if he’s a Yankee in 2026, much less sign an extension. I don’t know who is going to voluntarily give the Yankees pitching for him though. Every other team needs to keep the pitching they aleeady control, and the more the merrier. Depth is key, & Jazz isn’t worth it.
Ignorant SOB I doubt seriously they trade Jazz. If they trade him, they have to replace him and there’s nothing ready in the minors just yet. They don’t usually do extensions but I think there’s a good chance they bring him back when he hits FA.
Who said the Yankees are shopping him for pitching or is even on the trade block??
Perhaps the same teams who are in on Marte or Lowe, I dunno I guess the 2nd base market is kind of meager. As a M’s fan I would trade pitching prospects for Marte but not Jazz.
Alternatively, the Yanks could jettison Jazz and then sign Bo long term. That would also throttle those upstart Jays, who should have locked him up by now. I don’t understand their dithering.
Could be though a lot of stars would have to align to pull that off. Not the least is Bichette accepting a move to second. Of course the team that puts the most zeros on his contract will likely get him regardless of position.
Bo is a complicated fella. Pretty quiet, sometimes down on himself. Hard to read as a fan. Although he is buddies with Vald, he has made it pretty clear for a few years he was going to free agency and it seems he planned to be pretty mercenary about it.
His dad is always in the picture too – so much so that he has been involved in being his personal hitting coach. Dad’s presence has not always been a positive, and he likely is involved with the contract.
I would guess Bo will play it out. He likely doesnt even know what he wants at this point.
That’s very interesting Ducey, thank you. I recall the Blue Jays talk radio guys talking about Dante Bichette in 2024, saying the entire lineup hit better when Dante was around the team offering advice. But there was something keeping that from happening in 2024…and then Popkins seemed to add his secret magic in 2025, and the rest is history.
@IggySOB
A couple of things:
1. I don’t think the Yankees trade him. I honestly think there’s a lot of reasons to extend him and they definitely could.
2. If he were on the block, there would be plenty of suitors, starting pitching in hand. Dude’s a 4 WAR player and has power and speed and is pretty dynamic overall. His energy brings a lot to the table.
In either case, he’s totally worth it imo. Personally he’s not someone I’d trade without a big reason for it, like part of a bigger deal for a Skenes let’s say.
Not worth a pitcher after a 4+ WAR season? There were 13 pitchers in MLB that racked up 4 WAR in ‘25. I get he’s a rental but c’mon.
Second that, Joe, but …
as a Jays’ fan, BECAUSE he is prone to those bonehead plays.
My opinion? He is a good player and does more good than bad but I don’t like how he celebrates. He doesn’t appreciate “team” wins with the same enthusiasm as personal hilites.
Keep him. Your Yankees are worse for having him.
Might they move him back to the OF? As the article says Yankees have plenty of infielders.
The Yankees definitely don’t have plenty of infielders. Volpe is out and with a shoulder surgery, who knows if he’ll be right. Not that he’s very good to begin with. Cabalerro hasn’t hit much. Lombard isn’t nearly ready. Vivas isn’t major league material. Cabrera is just a utility player. They’re thin in the middle infield.
Anybody really listening to all that Jazz?
Cashman himself provided an assessment of Chisholm last week when he described him as “an above average player”.
The Pirates NEED to get this done. I was so mad we missed out on him at the trade deadline in ’23.
Nothing to do with his bat or anything. It is mainly because our radio announcers CANNOT pronounce his name and hearing them call him Chaz Jizzum all game will distract me from their losing.
How then would you pronounce his name if you were a Yankee broadcaster??? I believe the correct form is indeed “chizzum” (it’s an English last name).
Are those guys related to Harry Carey 🤣
That’s a distinct possibility…I’ll get get my research analyst on it pronto…
The Pirates radio team is among the worst in either league.
If I was a Pirates fan, I’d get the MLB Audio app and/or MLB TV and select the other team’s broadcast feed for every game.
Well, we get to listen to Barry Larkin repeating the same cliches and his one word answers all year so I get it.
Cmon, Sandlot. You mean it’s not enough that the Pirates are mentioned as being interested in for you to go buy a ticket package? LOL. What a pathetic joke this franchise is
Meanwhile, you mention the broadcast team.
Only broadcasters in MLB that would watch Cruz go 0-for-the-series and still be talking about his exit velocity on a homer a week ago
Unless you’re a women’s volleyball fan, being a sports fan in this town, you know, the “City of Champions” is such a depressing thing these days
No way the Yankees do this. He’s a very good player in his prime and he doesn’t make a bajillion dollars yet.
There is no justification for trading Jazz as he’s a clear need for the team.
The justification for trading Jazz would be in the big picture. If they know they’re not signing him to an extension, then trade him now for a longer term asset or pitcher, then go get a replacement for him at 2nd, like Bo Bichette, for example.
Now, if they were to trade him and just use in-house options to replace him for the season, that would be asinine. It only makes any sense if they have an external move to replace him.
@Canuckleball
As @Joe noted, the Yankees don’t do extensions so it’s a moot point. They need Jazz’ offense MUCH more than pitching.
But like I said, if they replace him with Bichette (a better hitter) then they get a pitcher (or whatever return they get from a trade) and they still get their offense, just from Bo instead under longer team control.
Bichette will cost $150M and …then what? Trades with Jazz and Domingues for what who?
They need a bat with high OBP and a starting pitcher (Japan guy).
So get rid of an inexpensive 4 win 30/30 guy for a 300 million dollar 3.5 war guy. Smart
Agreed. He’s a 4 WAR player under team control. Boone loves him, not just his play but his enthusiasm. He should bring back more than Jarren Duran, just because he plays a more difficult position to fill and because Duran is to some degree surplus for the Sox, while Jazz is an everyday player for the Yankees who would have to be replaced.
Only deal I see that makes sense for the Yankees is Jazz and a mid-level prospect or two for Ketel Marte and I don’t see that happening because, among other things, it doesn’t save DBacks that much money.
What the Yankees should be doing is signing low cost, one year deals with team options for innings eater starters like Tyler Anderson, Chris Paddack or Miles Mikolas. Nothing flashy, but one of them will keep that offense in games until Cole and Rodon return. If things go really well, it could be trade bait at the deadline, if not, bullpen depth or it won’t hurt much to release.
Sorry, but one year of Chisholm isn’t bringing back three years of Duran AND you think the Red Sox should add more?
Go mariners
I could get behind this for the M’s!
Agreed for the M’s.. There is our answer in some ways. He can play 2b or 3b and what a bat. I have to believe that the Yankees would want one of our Starting Pitchers perhaps not named Luis Castillo and that would be a non starter for me personally.
He’d be perfect for the Angels. He can play either 2b or 3b. Two position the Angels desperately need!
Unfortunately, I doubt the Angels have what the yanks need.
I truly wish they would just leave Jazz be and try to extend him, if his numbers are reasonable. He’s expressed an interest in staying and had recorded a love for playing in NYC. Some guys don’t want the glare of the spotlight but as long as he’s preforming and keeps the main thing the main thing (baseball) then plug him in at 2B and worry about other positions. Lombard’s glove might be mlb ready but he’s not doing anything in AA that should make ANYONE think he’s near ready for a call up on a city that has shown very little tolerance for struggling rookies, a per Volpe who was probably another year away from being fully developed and ready. And if his bat does catchup maybe we can stay him taking reps at 3b where we have zero depth behind McMahon.
KnicksFanCavsFan: Preforming? That’s a new one.
@Al
Sorry. Typo, but you knew that soooo… thanks.
-Alfred E Neuman-
Dont be a Robert. There is no need for it.
You know as well as I do, that Jazz is well know for his preforming with the bat.
Several players from other teams watch his tape preforming with the bat.
Most of the league has Jazz preform their bats.
Then they have the bats finished off at Louisville after an impressive bat perform from Jazz!
bwood: I don’t actually know that. Don’t be a Richard, Dick.
“Trading Chisholm would leave a hole in the middle infield in the short term.”
Actually two holes with Volpe at SS, even when he’s healthy.
We are trying to fix gaps not create them.
Are the teams that are interested gonna use him as a Beer vendor?
Are beer vendors typically 30/30 players?
Yeah. 30 errors and 30 missed plays but because of a tough bounce it’s not ruled an error.
Yankees would need to make several moves to justify a trade. They should keep him and look at bringing him back next offseason.
Jazz should be traded especially if they have zero interest to keep him long term. Why keep him and lose him for nothing. Probably cutting some salary to bring back Bellinger.
If he brings back a starter, it makes sense.
Passan doing the Yanks bidding in the offseason, what a surprise.
Please tell us more. You have a lot to take off your chest. Go on.
I’m humble enough to know I’m not smarter than most GMs and I’m not going to accept that trading Jazz is something Cashman is considering vs him saying “I’m open to all possibilities on all players blah blah blah”. You can’t take all these writers seriously on a slow news day, right? That being said, I would think the answer to a could of the Yanks issues might be simpler. Keep Jazz at 2B and extended next season if he’s available at a fair price. Invite Lombard to ST and try him out at 2B/SS/3B. Light a little fire under Volpe and Caballero to keep them motivated. Have Lombard start the season at AA and move him to 3B full- time or some hybrid of 3b/2b. He’s only 21 in June so there’s no need to rush him. I love the kids walk ability (15% in 2025) but make it clear that he has to work on contact, power and lowering his strikeout (25% in 2025). If he EARNS it, call him up to replace his RHB with McMahon ‘s LHB and huge k rate (27%) at 3B. That helps to balance out the bats and reduces the strikeout heavy lineup. It also will save the Yanks some money as they can move off of McMahon ‘s $16 mil to Lombard’s mlb minimum.
I keep getting this weird feeling they don’t want to keep him around after this season. Yeah we’re too lefty heavy but we could’ve avoided some of that by letting grisham walk. I get it, he’s productive and it’s leverage in negotiations with belli in theory, but the lefty problem is real. To me I’d be more inclined to fix the issue by trading wells and potentially mcmahon.
I don’t see McMahon being traded. He was brought at the deadline as advertised for defense.
He posted that 4.4 WAR in only 130 games. That’s a helluva season.
Yes , he’s rotting away at 30/30. Eyes got locked on my vertebrae on that roll.
Yeah, getting rid of your only good infielder sounds like a good idea.
If the Yanks can trade for Marte, they should move Jazz. Getting Marte and Bichette in the infield would be a major upgrade for the Yanks right handed hitting and would eliminate their need for Tucker or Bellinger. A Bellinger /Marte addition would also work
This guy is very hard on right handers, struggles against lefties.
This organization continues to disappoint and become the laughing stock in all of MLB! They are pitching pennies and the next 2 yrs show they have significant money coming off the books so there is no reason for them to go $320-335 million with their payroll in 2026. I guarantee you Steinbrenner concern about the labor lockout after 2026 season but if say the 2027 season gets wiped out that works in their favor only having to pay players pro rated portion or nothing!
@Anthony
So what are you going to say when the Yanks sign this year’s next $100 mil player in addition to whomever is playing LF via FA or trade?
I remember the rundown where the catcher tossed it to the third baseman who then tossed it to the pitcher.
Why don’t the Yankees do more extensions? Locking up young talent long term is one of the biggest advantages to being a big market club.
Not really a question/comment on Jazz but in general.
Yankees didn’t extend their superstar player in Judge, so very doubtful they’ll extend Jazz.
Hal doesn’t believe in them and prefers financial flexibility. Aaron Judge was once repped by Boras so no chance he was going to sign one.
I’m telling you right now, ROSARIO needs to be an everyday player! The guy can flat out hit.
Jazz can’t hold Rosario’s jockstrap. Jazz is buns.
Stay off the weeeeeeeeeed- Steven A. Smith.
Dumbo u needa stay off the weed. Are you a Knicks fan, or a Cavs fan? Choose one lil boy
Ahhh yes Steinbrenner previously showed a desire to keep payroll under 300 million.
Wooow!
A big Thank you to Hal from over half the league’s teams who can’t come close to spending that amount.
Nice and even playing field. Right guys? Everyone has an equal chance at the start of every year. Right guys?
😳
I remember not being to keen on him the last time the pirates where connected with him. BUT he does seem like he would be a good pickup (after a career year imagine that lol). I’m not sure I’m understand his contract control, Is it 26 and 27 left on his contract?
Prates could still afford to give up a quality pitcher even though it might require some other moving parts as well. +/- depending on control.
What are they thinking?!
I understand Jazz puts up video game numbers, he makes unreal defensive hi-lite plays in the field, he’s young and can play multiple positions but he’s also gonna get paid and the Yankees obviously now are not looking to pay Jazz long term. I wouldn’t either to be honest. Saying that if the offers are not good enough then he stays with the Yankees and plays for a huge contract and Yankees lose him to free agency or the Yankees deal him for a major league arm and a really good prospect. Teams like Pirates, Seattle, Phillies, maybe Arizona might match up.
Even San Diego who can trade Pivetta and Cronenworth contract with one bullpen arm not named Miller plus a low level high upside prospect for Jazz and Lefty hitting catcher Escarra.
Padres get rid of some money and Yanks replace Jazz with Cronenworth, Pivetta slots into rotation, and they add a bullpen arm that San Diego was looking to move for payroll purposes. Maybe the Yankees add Spencer Jones or Jasson Dominguez and Padres add Jackson Merrill? Highly doubt that but would be interesting.
Pirates have so much young pitching so maybe Yanks can trade for one major league ready arm and a prospect?
Lots of possibilities but to let him walk after season seems not very smart.
A package built around Pivetta may be the best that the Yankees could get for Jazz given his likelihood to elect free agency after the 2026 season.
Pittsburgh might surrender a package including Mitch Keller but would be ill advised to trade any of their best young pitching prospects for just one year of Chisholm.
I agree with Cashman that Chisholm is at least an “above average player” who may ultimately be more valuable to the Yankees even if for just one more year than what New York could get back in a trade.
Jazz is a keeper ! Club house vibes a great, team guy, fast, hits HR and judge needs on base guys to drive in! Cashman pull the re sign Bellinger now and get the Starter NYY require to compete.
3B is shallow around the league, and 2b is only slightly better.
He’d only ve moved if a better replacement was an imminent addition
Wow. 27 year-old, decent glove middle infielder, 30/30 guy, fits in with the team reasonably well. Sounds like part of the solution, not part of the problem. Sure the 33 HR includes Yankee Stadium RF, but that’s, like, good, considering he plays 81 games there.
Agree with Auggiex: who’s better?
Most boring Yankees offseason…EVER!
Don’t think the Reds would do it for just 1 year but Lodolo for Jazz may match up pretty well