Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. Landing Spots and Trade Packages Amid Latest MLB Rumors
If you had the New York Yankees being willing to listen on only the third 30-30 player in their history on your offseason bingo card, then you're in luck.
Separate reports from ESPN's Jeff Passan and Bryan Hoch of MLB.com confirm Jazz Chisholm Jr. is on the trading block, even if the Yankees aren't actively shopping the two-time All-Star.
General manager Brian Cashman is being "open-minded" as he seeks to upgrade the roster. It needs pitching and, as the GM himself has said, is too left-handed in the lineup.
Because Chisholm is slated for free agency after 2026, there's only so much he can command in a trade. But if the Yankees can turn the 27-year-old into a major league pitcher and/or regular contributor to their lineup, they'll need to consider it.
Chisholm's trade market could look similar to those for fellow second basemen Ketel Marte and Brendan Donovan, save for two exceptions. Because they're the Yankees' rivals in the AL East, there's no way he's headed to the Boston Red Sox or Tampa Bay Rays.
As for where Chisholm could go and for what, let's look at eight potential trade scenarios.
San Francisco Giants
1 of 8
Trade Proposal: San Francisco Giants get 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.; New York Yankees get LHP Carson Whisenhunt, OF Luis Matos
Why It Works
The Giants have been connected to Ketel Marte here and there, but now we know, courtesy of Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, they're on the veteran's limited no-trade list.
Brendan Donovan could be a more likely play for the Giants, but the appeal with Chisholm would be in his sheer offensive upside. Another home run hitter is never a bad idea, and they need his athleticism after stealing an NL-low 68 bases this season.
In return, the Yankees would get an instant plug-and-play arm to hold them over until Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt are back from elbow surgeries. Whisenhunt was a top-100 prospect in 2024 and has since made five MLB starts.
Matos is a former top-100 guy in his own right, and he offers upside as a platoon bat against lefties. With Trent Grisham in center and either Jasson Domínguez or Spencer Jones in left field, a guy like that could come in handy.
Who Says No?
The Yankees—and probably without a second thought.
This deal is OK enough on paper, but it would consist of the Yankees swapping out one of their stars for two depth pieces. That would likely be a net negative, even if it theoretically meant covering holes in the roster.
Seattle Mariners
2 of 8
Trade Proposal: Seattle Mariners get 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.; New York Yankees get RHP Logan Evans, OF Victor Robles, RHP/LHP Jurrangelo Cijntje
Why It Works
The Mariners came into the winter wanting to run it back with the same group that took them to Game 7 of the ALCS. Alas, the New York Mets overbidding for Jorge Polanco nixed that plan.
Ketel Marte and Brendan Donovan are there for the Mariners on the trade market, but Chisholm offers a compelling alternative at the keystone for a couple reasons. His offensive and defensive upside are about as high as Marte's, but his acquisition cost doesn't figure to be nearly as steep as either player's.
For the Yankees, this trade package is similar to the Giants proposal, but with a cherry on top. Evans and Robles could round out their depth right out of the gate in 2026, with Cijntje standing by to potentially help supercharge a playoff run in the latter half.
He's a switch-pitcher who can reach 98 mph with both arms, which could at least make him a true unicorn as a relief weapon. In the long run, his right arm alone has ace upside.
Who Says No?
This is better than the Giants proposal, but it's probably still the Yankees saying no.
Evans is pretty much a Quad-A type, while Robles has spent most of the last six seasons as a replacement-level outfielder. And as tantalizing as Cijntje is on paper, he got crushed by lefties when pitching both as a lefty and as a righty this year. That's a red flag if there ever was one.
Philadelphia Phillies
3 of 8
Trade Proposal: Philadelphia Phillies get 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.; New York Yankees get 3B Alec Bohm, RHP Orion Kerkering
Why It Works
The Phillies entered the winter needing to shake things up. So, bringing back Kyle Schwarber and making a $10 million bet on Adolis García feels like more of the same with a little twist.
Chisholm would bring some energy to the Phillies. More importantly, he'd further increase what is already a strong mix of power and speed in their offense. They were one of six teams to top 200 home runs and 120 stolen bases this year.
For the Yankees, swapping out Chisholm for Bohm would not be an upgrade, but they'd be in an ideal spot to maximize the latter's offensive potential. They could use him in a platoon role with Ryan McMahon and Ben Rice on the corners, hoping to take advantage of his .305 average and .862 OPS against lefties.
True, Kerkering is not the starter the Yankees need. But their bullpen requires upgrades as well, and he would bring electric stuff and a 2.79 career ERA with him to New York.
Who Says No?
Once again, the Yankees.
This trade would at least equip them with two players who could help right away and all year long, but not as much as if they simply kept Chisholm for his walk year. You'd rather have an everyday star than a platoon bat and a setup man.
Cincinnati Reds
4 of 8
Trade Proposal: Cincinnati Reds get 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.; New York Yankees get RHP Brady Singer, 2B Matt McLain
Why It Works
That the Reds made the playoffs this year tells you how good their pitching was, because it sure as heck wasn't courtesy of their offense that they made it in.
They were below average across the board, and it was especially egregious that they hit only 167 home runs despite playing at Great American Ball Park. Chisholm would clean up there, as GABP is surprisingly even friendlier to lefty home run hitters than Yankee Stadium.
Whereas Singer is part of a pitching surplus in Cincinnati, he'd probably be the Yankees' No. 3 starter out of the gate if he were to land in New York. He isn't going to be any more than that, but he would at least promise to give them innings at the back end of the rotation as the year went along.
McLain would essentially be a lottery ticket for the Yankees. He'll be two years removed from shoulder surgery in March, and the hope would be that he can be the same guy who hit .290 and racked up 3.6 rWAR as a 23-year-old in 2023.
Who Says No?
We are getting there, but this is another one the Yankees are likely to say no to.
They can do better than Singer on the free-agent market, and McLain's breakout 2023 season feels like a distant memory after 2025. He got into 147 games and posted exactly 0.0 rWAR as he hit only .220 with a .643 OPS.
Pittsburgh Pirates
5 of 8
Trade Proposal: Pittsburgh Pirates get 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.; New York Yankees get RHP Braxton Ashcraft, 2B Termarr Johnson
Why It Works
If the Bucs are finally going to make a real contention run in Year 3 with Paul Skenes, then they need to do something about an offense that finished last in scoring and home runs this season.
To this end, Chisholm would bring nothing less than 40-40 upside to Pittsburgh. He's pretty much been that kind of guy since joining the Yankees midway through 2024, posting 42 homers and 49 steals in 176 total games.
Though hardly a household name, Ashcraft looks like the Bucs' No. 3 starter behind Skenes and Mitch Keller. That should appeal to the Yankees, as should Ashcraft's profile. He's a big guy with a high-90s fastball, which screams "Yankees pitcher!"
Johnson would be a dice roll of sorts for the Yankees. He was the No. 4 pick in the 2022 draft, but he could now use a change of scenery after mostly failing to launch in the Pirates system.
Who Says No?
This is a fair deal on paper, but it's the Pirates that would have to feel queasy about making it.
Even though Chisholm is the kind of hitter their offense needs, the Bucs aren't really in a position to make this kind of gamble on a rental. They'd be much better off making a play for a Ketel Marte or a Jarren Duran, who would come with multiple years of control.
Detroit Tigers
6 of 8
Trade Proposal: Detroit Tigers get 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.; New York Yankees get RHP Casey Mize, RHP Troy Melton
Why It Works
Though the Tigers were a perfectly solid run-scoring team this season, their lineup needs two things: A big bat to help Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter carry the load, and more athleticism.
Chisholm checks both boxes with aplomb, notably stealing half as many bases (31) as the Tigers got from their whole offense (61) this season. And while former Yankee Gleyber Torres is just fine at second base, Chisholm showed in 2024 he can play a mean third base. The Tigers don't have a clear regular there.
Even as a one-for-one, Chisholm for Mize would be a fun baseball trade. The former No. 1 pick is also slated for the open market after 2026, and he is coming off an All-Star season in which he pitched like a solid No. 3.
Also getting Melton would turn this trade into a long play for the Yankees. He's a bit of a project, but he's 6'4", 210 pounds with a fastball that reaches 100 mph.
Who Says No?
It's got to be the Tigers, even if trading for Chisholm would be a case of a compelling all-in bet on Tarik Skubal's walk year in 2026.
What they really need is greater certainty on the mound, both for next year and for what will surely be their post-Skubal era in 2027 and beyond. This trade wouldn't accomplish that, and it would only pay off if the Tigers won it all next year.
Kansas City Royals
7 of 8
Trade Proposal: Kansas City Royals get 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.; New York Yankees get LHP Kris Bubic, C Blake Mitchell
Why It Works
It's all well and good that the Royals have added Lane Thomas and Isaac Collins to their outfield mix, but they're not going to do much to boost an offense that was fifth from the bottom in scoring this year.
Chisholm would, and the idea of him and Bobby Witt Jr. sharing the same infield and the same lineup is just plain fun. They would both enter next season with 30-30 potential, giving the Royals a shot at becoming only the fourth team to ever field multiple 30-30 guys in a season.
The Yankees would be getting back a 2025 All-Star in Bubic, who had a 2.55 ERA over 116.1 innings before a rotator cuff strain ended his season. Though he's also a pending free agent after 2026, the Yankees can look at all the red on his Statcast profile and be reasonably confident he has another star-caliber year in him.
Mitchell is probably the best deal-sweetener the Yankees could get in a trade like this. He was the Royals' No. 8 pick in 2023, but he's now the No. 2 catcher in their system after Carter Jensen, who hit the ground running in the majors this year.
Who Says No?
Possibly neither side…but the gut says the Yankees.
If they're going to take the risk of swapping out Chisholm for a pitcher, it should be for someone they can count on. As his big break only lasted half a year before he got hurt, Bubic would be more of an upside play.
Milwaukee Brewers
8 of 8
Trade Proposal: Milwaukee Brewers get 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.; New York Yankees get RHP Freddy Peralta
Why It Works
Do the Brewers really need Chisholm? Not if you're a fan of Brice Turang, and who isn't after his output of 10.3 rWAR across the last two seasons?
Either Chisholm (to third base) or Turang (to shortstop) could change positions to accommodate this move, though, and it would promise to be worth the Brewers' while for one reason: home runs.
The long ball was their offense's only weakness in 2025, and that factored into an NLCS sweep by the Dodgers in which they got out-homered 6-to-1.
As for Peralta, we know from Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic that the Yankees are interested in trading for him. Getting him this way would be a case of Brian Cashman living up to the "challenge trades" he recently teased.
Like Chisholm, Peralta is also a star who's headed for free agency after 2026.
Money is a complicating factor here, as Peralta is owed $8 million in 2026 compared to a projected $10.2 million salary for Chisholm. But if the Yankees offered to pay down the difference, the cash-strapped Brewers wouldn't have to worry about it.
Who Says No?
We say no, because this trade is 100 percent pure baseball goodness.
In all seriousness, it probably makes more sense for the Yankees than for the Brewers. But since Milwaukee has an easier time digging up arms than it does generating power, it could be awfully hard to turn it down.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
