The Yankees have a decision to make this offseason, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. sits right in the middle of it.
After getting swept by their division rival, the Tampa Bay Rays, New York is staring at a major winter of sorting out who stays and who goes. Chisholm is one of the names already hanging over that conversation, even though he has made it clear he would prefer to remain in New York.
“Chisholm, an All-Star for the second time in 2025, endured a down year at the plate and struggled both offensively and defensively in four appearances in the playoffs. Manager Aaron Boone left Chisholm out of the Yankees' starting lineup for two postseason games, including their season-ending loss on Wednesday.
The fans at Yankee Stadium booed Chisholm after he fouled out to first base as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the seventh inning. Nevertheless, Chisholm would rather continue his career with the Yankees than exit in free agency," MLB Trade Rumors wrote.
That comes after a career path that has not always been smooth off the field, either. Earlier in his time with Miami, Chisholm got attention from a couple of familiar Yankees names.
“When Jazz was in Miami, Derek Jeter was there as the owner and Don Mattingly was the manager. That's two great Yankees who understood tradition and played the game right. They both met with Chisholm on repeated occasions and begged him to get his head straight," NJ.com's Bob Klapisch wrote.
If the Yankees do move on, one possible replacement has already been floated: Luis Arraez.
Sports Illustrated’s Joe Najarian believes New York should turn to Arraez instead, pointing to the kind of contact ability the Yankees could use in a lineup that can swing between extremes.
“This hinges on whether the Yankees choose to bring back Jazz Chisholm Jr., but it seems more than likely that they will let him walk. Regardless, the Bronx Bombers still need a player with good bat-to-ball skills to make the lineup less polarizing, and nobody makes contact more consistently than Luis Arraez,” Najarian wrote.
“Despite Arraez's production dipping after being traded at the deadline to the Philadelphia Phillies, the 29-year-old enjoyed a bounce-back year by hitting .310 with a solid .765 OPS. He did that while striking out just 28 times in 596 plate appearances.”
Arraez brings a resume that matches the billing. The second baseman is a two-time Silver Slugger winner and a four-time All-Star, and his calling card has long been the same: putting the bat on the ball as consistently as almost anyone in the game.
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