Jazz Chisholm has been a hot subject at the trade deadline, given the Marlins’ troubles this season, and with the Yankees in need of infield help, some have speculated that he could be a fit. While it’s impossible to predict what the Bronx Bombers will do at the deadline, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that they’ve talked Jazz Chisholm Jr. but haven’t determined their level of interest. Chisholm has a 106 wRC+ through 89 games this season, with 11 home runs and 18 steals, indicating that he is a strong offensive threat with excellent speed.The Yankees would most likely have him come in as an infielder rather than an outfielder, where he has performed considerably better defensively in his Major League career.Jazz Chisholm hasn’t had a flawless season, but he’s an above-average hitter who would certainly improve in a ballpark like Yankee Stadium. He has performed substantially better away from LoanDepot Park, posting a 125 wRC+ and.799 OPS on the road this season. Furthermore, according to Baseball Savant’s Expected Home Run metric, if Chisholm had played all of his games at Yankee Stadium, he would have hit 16 home runs instead of 11.
It’s easy to see the attractiveness of having someone like Jazz Chisholm, who possesses the speed, flair, and power to impact the game on his own, but his inconsistent play has prompted concerns about his overall worth. The Yankees could use someone who is a threat on the bases, as they are not just the worst baserunning team according to FanGraphs’ BsR metric, but also the slowest team in baseball in terms of Sprint Speed.
Jazz Chisholm has club control for this season and two more after that, so there is appeal in the sense that the Bronx Bombers would get a long-term fixture in the middle infield. In his MLB career, he has +7 Defensive Runs Saved and +8 Outs Above Average at second base, which would be a significant improvement over Gleyber Torres’ -2 Defensive Runs Saved and 0 Outs Above Average numbers.
This would fill a second-base need, but would they also want to add a third baseman? That remains to be seen, especially considering Jon Berti has prior experience there and is set to resume rehab after the All-Star Break.
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