Quick thoughts after the Yankees trade for Jazz Chisholm Jr.

UPDATE: The Yankees have announced the trade and it is as reported: Chisholm for Serna and the two Ramirezes. No word on when Jazz will join the Yankees. Hopefully Sunday, but it might he Monday.

ORIGINAL POST: The trade deadline shopping has begun. The Yankees are acquiring second baseman/center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Marlins for three prospects according to all the reporters in the know. The prospects: C Agustin Ramirez, IF Jared Serna, and IF Abrahan Ramirez. The Yankees haven’t announced the trade yet but will soon enough. Maybe not before tonight’s game, but soon.

“Very talented. Athletic, speed, power,” Aaron Boone told Greg Joyce about Chisholm this afternoon (it’s not a done deal yet so Boone can’t say much). “Seems like versatility. Can play a lot of different places.”

Chisholm, 26, is slashing .249/.323/.407 (104 wRC+) with 13 homers and the best strikeout (24.9%) and walk (9.1%) rates of his career. He’s also 22-for-30 (73%) stealing bases. The Marlins started playing him at second base again two weeks ago, which was obviously a showcase leading up to the deadline. How the Yankees will use Jazz, I do not know (third base? leadoff?). We’ll find out soon enough.

Here is my Scouting the Market post on Chisholm and here’s a relevant portion:

I think Chisholm the player fits. He brings present offensive production with the potential for more, he’d add speed, and he played second base well earlier in his career. Fitting him into the 2024 roster would take some creativity because a) Gleyber is still here (spin him off elsewhere?), and b) Chisholm would have to transition back to second in-season. And if you keep him in the outfield the rest of the year, then you have to do something with Verdugo (and put Aaron Judge in an unfamiliar left field full-time).

The skill set fits and the positional stuff is an obstacle more than a dealbreaker, I think. Chisholm is available right now and he might not be in the offseason (because he could be playing for another team by then). And really, Torres or Verdugo can be moved. They’re rentals. It’s not like they’re locked into long-term contracts. You might not get a ton back, but those guys will appeal to other teams around the league.

The idea of Chisholm is better than the reality of Chisholm, who’s been a league average-ish hitter the last few years despite obvious physical tools. He can really crush the ball when he gets into a pitch, especially to the pull side, which fits nicely in Yankee Stadium as a left-handed hitter. Chisholm will drive you nuts with ugly chases at times though, and with empty swings against non-fastballs. 

Even though he’s 400 games into his career, Chisholm still has some things to figure out at the plate, and the Yankees are not the best at unlocking hitters. It’s mostly about reining in his aggressiveness, which can go overboard at times, and also getting him to elevate the ball more consistently. Chisholm has averaged 27 homers per 162 games in his career and that’s in that big ballpark in Miami. The power’s legit.

Will the Yankees let Jazz be himself? Chisholm has a big personality and it has rubbed teammates the wrong way at times, plus the Yankees are known to stifle folks. They’re a very corporate team. It’s worth noting hitting coach James Rowson was Miami’s bench coach from 2020-22. He knows Chisholm well and I’m certain the Yankees sought his input before the trade. Rowson presumably gave his endorsement.

The Yankees could still use more offense at the deadline, at least a righty platoon bat for Alex Verdugo, plus bullpen help. Like, a lot of bullpen help. They didn’t get lefty Tanner Scott in the Chisholm trade, though that doesn’t mean the door is closed. They can always circle back and make another trade with the Marlins. I seriously doubt the Yankees are one trade and done. There’s more coming before Tuesday’s deadline.

As for the prospects, (Agustin) Ramirez is easily the best of the three. He is having the biggest breakout in the farm system this season, slashing .269/.358/.504 (136 wRC+) with 20 homers and strong strikeout (17.1%) and walk (10.6%) rates between Double-A and Triple-A. I ranked Ramirez as the No. 19 prospect in the system before the season and the No. 3 prospect in my updated top 10 last week.

Ramirez can hit. He probably can’t catch, but he can hit. With Jasson Domínguez hurt just about all year and Spencer Jones striking out at an alarming rate (currently 37.5%), Ramirez might’ve been their best deadline trade chip. Chisholm is under team control though 2026, so he’s not a rental, and presumably he’ll slot in as the full-time second baseman next year, after Gleyber Torres leaves as a free agent.

Serna, my No. 22 preseason prospect, was going to be on the 40-man roster/Rule 5 Draft bubble after the season, and I figured he was a trade candidate for that reason. (Abrahan) Ramirez, 19, is one of those pre-breakout rookie ball kids. He was a $30,000 signing out of Venezuela in 2022. I thought it would take two top 5-10 team prospects plus more to get Chisholm, and the Yankees gave up less than that. Good trade then?

There are a lot of moving roster parts this time of year. Chisholm slides into Ramirez’s 40-man roster spot, and either J.D. Davis or the out-of-options Jahmai Jones will go to clear a 26-man roster spot. Chances are both will be gone soon with Jazz coming aboard and Giancarlo Stanton nearing a return. The trade deadline is 6pm ET on Tuesday and Jack Curry says the Yankees are pushing to get something else done. So, stay tuned.