All in all, Yankees utility man Jazz Chisholm has been exactly what the team had hoped he be when acquiring him from the Marlins in a deadline trade last summer. He filled a glaring hole at third base last year–learning the position on the fly–then moved back to second base this year to replace Gleyber Torres, who left in free agency.
Chisholm hit .242 and knocked 31 homers. He struck out too much (148 times in 130 games) and was prone to a mental error or two, but that comes with the territory. He was a deserving All-Star and his WAR of 4.2 was a career high, third among the Yankees’ position players.
Chisholm is slated to be back in the infield in 2026, and is projected in arbitration (by Spotrac) to warrant an $11.7 million payout for next season, double what he was paid this season. But it’s doubtful that Chisholm is in the Yankees’ long-term plans, and if they don’t plan to sign him in a year, maybe now is the time to move him elsewhere.
Jazz Chisholm = Russell Westbrook?
Joel Sherman of the New York Post, in putting together the post-mortem of the Yankees, recommends that the team should at least be open to a deal.
He writes, “Be open to trading Jazz Chisholm Jr. I just do not see the world where the Yankees go long with Chisholm. And he is a free agent after the 2026 season. So is it best to save some money toward (Cody) Bellinger and get prospects and/or a piece that helps in the present?”
Sherman compared Chisholm to the NBA’s Russell Westbrook, an uber-talented player whose willingness to chuck up ill-advised shots often costs his team, but sometimes drives a win. Chisholm was useful as a stopgap for the Yankees’ infield needs, but he did bat .182 in the playoffs in back-to-back years.
“He is the player you date, but don’t marry. And if there is not going to be a long-term commitment, the Yankees must explore what can be gotten for him,” Sherman quipped.
Yankees Would Have Hole at 2B
The problem with that approach, though, is that it would land the Yankees right back where they started last season. Perhaps Ryan McMahon, who is signed for the next two seasons, can lock down third base for the Pinstripes going forward, but they’d need to find a second baseman, either by trade or in free agency.
The Yankees have some interesting infield prospects in the pipeline, most notably 2023 first-round pick George Lombard Jr., who could eventually take over at second base. Lombard is probably the most advanced of the lot, and he simply won’t be ready in 2026–he is just 20 and hit .215 in 108 games at Double-A last year.
The Yankees could piece together a free-agent solution at second base until Lombard is ready, but if that is the approach, it might make more sense to just hold onto Chisholm for the next season.
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