Jazz Chisholm Jr. went into 2026 with big-money dreams and a bold number attached to them: an eight-to-ten-year deal worth $35 million annually once he reached free agency. That kind of payday was always going to require more than confidence, though, and his season has made the conversation a lot more complicated.
The New York Yankees second baseman talked like a player aiming for the top shelf after a 30-30 season gave him real juice as a power-speed threat. He even floated the idea of a 50-50 campaign, a leap that would have put him in a class that basically belongs to Shohei Ohtani.
If that had actually happened, maybe there would have been a case for the $300-plus million contract he had in mind. Instead, the market moved in a much different direction.
When the Chicago Cubs handed Nico Hoerner a six-year, $141 million extension, they effectively drew the line. Chisholm Jr. had shown more dynamism than Hoerner to that point, so a range around $150 million to $160 million seemed plausible. But then the season turned south in a hurry.
His wRC+ dropped from 125 to 98. The mistakes in the field piled up.
He made more goofy plays than usual, ate a lollipop, and never found the answer for the huge year-over-year drop. By the time the playoffs arrived, Aaron Boone had already benched him against lefties, and even with a right-hander on the mound in an elimination Game 3 of the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays, Boone went with Anthony Volpe at second base instead.
It worked.
Aaron Boone on the decision to start Anthony Volpe over Jazz Chisholm Jr.: “Just felt like it. I felt like I wanted to go with him today.”
- Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) October 7, 2026
That leaves the Yankees with a much tougher question: what is Chisholm Jr. actually worth now?
FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray addressed that on the Baseball Insiders Podcast, and his read points directly at the qualifying offer. Murray said, "As far as Jazz Chisholm, this has definitely impacted his free agency, I would think, and I would also look at it too, as if you're the Yankees, can you offer him the qualifying offer at this point?"
He added, "It's a hair over $23 million. That's been something that I've seen talked about plenty on my timeline on Twitter, and if the Yankees extended it, I think there's a strong case for him to take it, kind of like what happened with Trent Grisham.
"They could end up being put in a real difficult situation. So if I'm the Yankees, I don't offer Jazz Chisholm that qualifying offer, and that could end up boding well for his eventual contract because there's going to be some team looks at him in free agency and is like we're going to take a chance on this guy, and we're going to give him a big one-year deal, or one of those multiple year deals with opt-outs in it."
That’s the heart of it for New York. A qualifying offer only makes sense if the team actually wants the player back at that salary.
In Chisholm Jr.’s case, the answer should be no. There were arguments for keeping him around before, but his rough season and his postgame comment after the first inning throwing error in Game 2 of the ALDS pushed this in a different direction.
He said that if he could do it over again he would, and for a Yankees club built to win, that wasn’t the kind of answer that helps.
The next step for the Yankees is less clear, but there are paths. Anthony Volpe could move to second base full-time, though that does not feel like something that should be handed over without competition. Luis Garcia Jr. has second base experience, but his defense at the position was so bad that he was moved to first this season.
One more name sits in the mix: Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe. He just put together a 35-homer season with an .824 OPS and the best defensive year of his career.
Pittsburgh would like to bring him back, but may not be able to pay what it takes. If Chisholm Jr. leaves, that could create room for the Yankees to chase Lowe as a cheaper alternative.
The options are still taking shape, but the message on Chisholm Jr. is already pretty clear. The Yankees should not let themselves get talked into the qualifying offer, and they should move on now.
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