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.
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