The New York Yankees aren’t actively shopping Jazz Chisholm Jr., but they are reportedly listening to trade offers on their 30-30 star. Meanwhile, the rest of the AL East is getting better each day, with impactful signings, and the Yanks have only countered with a couple of minor moves. Let’s dive into Thursday’s news!
Yankees are listening to offers on 2025 All-Star infielder
The Yankees’ winter has been defined by a strange tension: they’re listening, they’re waiting, and they’re tinkering — but they haven’t truly committed to a direction. That ambiguity shows up in the Jazz Chisholm chatter. According to reporting from Jeff Passan, the Yankees aren’t shopping him, but they’re certainly picking up the phone. It feels more like Brian Cashman doing due diligence than preparing a blockbuster, yet the very act of listening hints at a larger question about their infield identity.
Chisholm is coming off a 30-30 season and was arguably the best second baseman in the American League, but he’s also a rental with a platoon split the Yankees aren’t thrilled about. Cashman wants more right-handed balance, and while Chisholm doesn’t get them there, targets like Bo Bichette might — if New York is willing to pay the significant price. For now, a trade remains unlikely, but the door isn’t closed.
The Yankees just took another punch to the gut in the AL East
That uncertainty mirrors the broader theme of the Yankees’ offseason: passivity in the face of an AL East that’s accelerating. Baltimore landed Pete Alonso, Toronto splurged on Dylan Cease, and the Yankees countered with… Trent Grisham on a qualifying offer. It’s not that Grisham is a bad move — he’s a premium safety net — but it’s a curious luxury buy when the rotation is leaking and the lineup still lacks right-handed thunder.
Cashman insists the winter’s pace is slow, yet the division’s top rivals are sprinting, and the Yankees’ patience is starting to look like inertia. The biggest domino remains Cody Bellinger, whose return is no longer the foregone conclusion many assumed. If Scott Boras leads him elsewhere, especially across town, New York’s offseason could collapse in a hurry. There are inexpensive fixes like Amed Rosario that make sense, but depth-only solutions won’t keep up with a division loading up on stars. The clock is ticking louder, and the Yankees are running out of reasons to stay still.
Yankees take a chance on former Guardians farmhand on minor league deal
Amid the waiting and the big-picture questions, the Yankees have also taken some quieter swings that reveal how the front office is thinking beneath the surface. This week’s depth plays — selecting right-hander Cade Winquest in the Rule 5 Draft and signing Bradley Hanner to a minor-league deal — don’t grab headlines, but they fit the organization’s affection for live arms with traits worth refining.
Hanner, in particular, represents the prototype: good swing-and-miss stuff, inconsistent command, and an unusual arm slot that creates deception but also volatility. He’s a project, but the Yankees love projects like this, and they’ve had success turning these types into contributors after a mechanical tweak or pitch-shape adjustment. The path to the Opening Day roster is steep, but the upside is real enough that the Yankees see him as more than winter filler. These moves won’t change the AL East race, but they do show a front office still hunting the margins, even while the spotlight waits for something bigger.