The New York Yankees have made their first move of the trade deadline hours after another defeat at the hands of their rival Boston Red Sox.
New York has traded for Marlins infielder/outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., first reported by Craig Mish. The Yankees will send three prospects to Miami in exchange for the versatile player, one of them their No. 20 prospect, catcher Agustin Ramirez.
It's not certain where Chisholm will fit in New York's lineup yet. He's athletic enough to play a solid outfield, but second base is regarded as his best position. Alex Verdugo, Gleyber Torres and Trent Grisham could all be in danger of losing playing time to the Yankees' newest addition.
While Chisholm can defend well across the diamond, his bat may not provide the boost the Yankees need. Most of their offensive production comes from their stars, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. Their lineup is short and the former Marlin may only provide a slight boost.
Yankees make first deadline move for Jazz Chisholm after another brutal loss to Red Sox
NYY sending catcher Agustin Ramirez and others to Miami https://t.co/KIlzaSfLnJ
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 27, 2024
Chisholm is slashing .249/.323/.407 this season and .246/.309/.440 in his five-year big-league career. He's fanned 107 times and ranks just above the lowest quarter of the league in strikeout rate. He's been regarded as an up-and-coming player, but he's yet to post the breakout offensive season the Marlins hoped for. The infielder/outfielder was frequently injured during his time in Miami and has played fewer games than injury-prone Yankee Giancarlo Stanton since 2022.
Chisholm is fast, though, and the Yankees lineup absolutely needs a boost of speed. Judge and Soto, the two players on base most frequently for New York, only carry mid-to-high 30th-percentile sprint speeds, and Chisholm ranks in the 87th percentile and owns one of the league's best baserunning run values, according to Baseball Savant.
Clay Holmes has struggled as New York's closer in recent weeks and many Yankee fans hoped they would also acquire All-Star closer Tanner Scott before the deadline. Chisholm is headed to the Bronx without Scott, and the Yankees already spent big for their first addition — they may be forced to explore cheaper relief options.
Unless Chisholms undergoes a significant change once he dons the pinstripes, this trade may not improve the Yankees much. He was ranked as the most overrated player in the league in the 2024 anonymous players poll and hasn't been the player many expected he would be.
Many Red Sox fans called for their favorite squad to trade for Chisholm before the deadline. Boston is better off with him in New York.