MLB Rumors: Yankees Trade for Jazz Chisholm Jr.; Marlins to Get 3 Prospects

The Miami Marlins' in-season fire sale continued on Saturday with centerfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. being traded to the New York Yankees, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

The Marlins are reportedly set to receive three prospects in exchange for the 26-year-old, as Alden González of ESPN detailed:

Catcher Agustin Ramirez was listed among the "next 50 prospects" on Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter's Top 100 list. He is the Yankees' No. 20 prospect on MLB.com while shortstop Jared Serna is No. 19. Abrahan Ramirez is a 19-year-old shortstop hitting .348 in the Florida Complex League.

This season started out badly for the Marlins and never got better. They lost nine straight games to open the year and didn't win a series until a three-game sweep over the Colorado Rockies from April 30 to May 2.

Two days after that series ended, the Marlins pulled off a stunner by trading Luis Arráez to the San Diego Padres for a package of four players, including prospects Dillon Head, Jakob Marsee and Nathan Martorella.

It wasn't a surprise that Miami moved a player who was making money, rather that it happened so early in the season. In-season trades involving a two-time All-Star still in his prime typically don't occur until early July.

The Marlins would have lost some of their negotiating leverage by waiting to make a move, so they at least turned Arráez into a very promising return for the future.

As soon as Arráez was moved, it opened the door for the Marlins to make other deals. Chisholm stood out as an obvious trade candidate even though he's under team control through 2026.

Since making the All-Star team in 2022, Chisholm's offensive output has declined. He hit .254/.325/.535 with 14 homers and 12 stolen bases in 60 games that season.

The 2023 campaign saw Chisholm hit .250/.304/.457 with 19 homers and 22 stolen bases in 97 games, but he also struck out 118 times in 352 at-bats. His slash line sits at .249/.323/.407 in 430 plate appearances so far this season.

One encouraging sign is that Chisholm has been able to stay healthy. A back injury kept him out for the final three months of the 2022 season. He had two stints on the injured list in 2023 due to turf toe that required offseason surgery.

Chisholm's value as a centerfielder is still a work-in progress. He moved to the position prior to the 2023 season after starting his career playing shortstop and second base. His minus-14 defensive runs saved ranks 24th out of 25 centerfielders with at least 1,000 innings since the start of last year, per FanGraphs.

The Yankees obviously don't need help in center field with Aaron Judge playing at an MVP-level, but Chisholm's experience in the infield can provide the team with extra options while adding depth to the lineup overall.

The Yankees will provide Chisholm with a more consistent environment to work out any struggles he might have, as opposed to the constantly-changing Marlins who often struggle to find any clear direction.

The added boost to the locker room should also help New York in its quest to contend for a World Series title.