Jazz Chisholm Jr. is heading into the stretch run with his Yankees future already under a microscope, and a trade target’s blunt All-Star break comments only sharpened the pressure.
The Yankees second baseman is in the final months of a one-year, $10.2 million contract that covers 2026 and nothing beyond it. He entered this season with five years and 75 days of major league service, putting him on track to reach free agency this winter once he clears six years after the season. MLB Trade Rumors has already labeled him a clear candidate to receive and reject a qualifying offer, which would come with draft-pick compensation attached.
That’s the backdrop for every Chisholm at-bat from here on out. And so far, the audition hasn’t gone the way the Yankees would have hoped.
Through 69 games, Chisholm is hitting .229/.317/.406 with 10 home runs and 30 RBIs, according to Baseball Reference. His .723 OPS and 100 OPS+ make him an exactly league-average hitter.
That’s a sharp drop from last season, when he hit 31 home runs, drove in 80 runs, posted an .813 OPS and a 123 OPS+, made the All-Star team, won a Silver Slugger and finished with 4.1 WAR. This year, he’s at 0.9.
The defense hasn’t bailed him out, either. Chisholm is minus-6 in defensive runs saved and minus-5 in total zone at second base, both career-worst marks at the position. His speed still plays - he has 20 stolen bases - but the overall package is not the kind that usually makes a front office eager to lock in a long-term commitment.
Then came Luis Arraez.
Arraez, a four-time All-Star and three-time batting champion with the Giants, is also a pending free agent and, per MLB.com, is likely to be traded before the Aug. 3 deadline. At the All-Star break, he made one thing clear about where he wants to play if he’s dealt.
“This is a business, so whatever team wants to give me the opportunity to help, it’s going to be at second base,” Arraez said, per MLB.com. “I don’t like to go back to first base; I prepared my mind, I prepared my body to only play second base.
“One hundred percent, I’m staying at second.”
That’s not a Yankees-specific message, but it matters anyway. Any club that trades for Arraez would be taking on a second baseman who says second base is the requirement. On a roster like New York’s, that kind of demand lands directly on the player already occupying the spot.
And Arraez is producing at a level that makes the comparison sting. He’s hitting .326/.363/.460 with an .823 OPS in 88 games, per Baseball Savant.
He also has 10 Outs Above Average at second base, which ranks in the 99th percentile, and his fielding run value has jumped from minus-5 last season to plus-8. He has struck out just 15 times all year.
Chisholm, by comparison, has 81 strikeouts.
The Yankees, though, have not been publicly linked to Arraez. MLB.com’s July 15 deadline roundup pointed to catcher as the club’s biggest need, naming the Twins’ Ryan Jeffers and the Rockies’ Hunter Goodman, along with a high-leverage right-handed reliever, with the Padres’ Mason Miller on the radar. Arraez was not mentioned there.
New York enters the second half at 54-42, second in the AL East and three games behind Tampa Bay. Chisholm cleared concussion protocol on June 30 after a collision with Jasson Domínguez and is available.
Nothing has been reported about an extension for Chisholm, or about the Yankees’ plans for him after this season. What is on the record is a contract that ends in October, a bat that has settled at league average, a glove that has slipped, and a deadline approaching fast enough to make every second-base conversation feel a little more loaded than it did yesterday.
In Other News...
Yankees May Have Found A Real Catcher Answer Before Deadline Panic
The Yankees have spent enough of this season looking for answers behind the plate that the position has become part of the deadline conversation. Austin Wells has not given the club the production it expected, and general manager Brian Cashman has already acknowledged the issue while the front office sorts through possible trade options before the August 3 deadline. It is the kind of problem that can linger all summer if a team does not find a real fix, especially when the catching group is dragging in a way the Yankees can no longer ignore.
One name that has come up in the chatter is Arizona catcher Gabriel Moreno, a player who would give New York a very different kind of profile at the position if the Yankees decided to push harder. Moreno has been productive for the Diamondbacks this season and, just as importantly for any trade market, comes with years of club control beyond this one. For now, there is no official deal on the table, but the fact that the Yankees are being linked to a catcher of that caliber tells you how seriously they are treating the position as deadline pressure builds. [Read more 🡒]
This Under The Radar Bat Could Fix More Than One Yankees Problem
The Yankees still have a lot of boxes to check before the trade deadline, with clear needs at catcher, in the bullpen and in the rotation, plus some secondary asks that could shape the rest of the roster. One name that keeps surfacing as a fit is Spencer Steer, the Reds versatile bat who can move around the diamond and gives a lineup some right-handed balance while also helping cover more than one hole at once.
Steers appeal goes beyond just being a useful extra piece. He has handled multiple positions, has done damage against left-handed pitching and, with Cincinnatis playoff chances fading, he looks like the kind of player who could become available at the right time. The contract side matters too, since he is affordable now and controlled for several more seasons, which is exactly the sort of flexibility a contender like New York tends to value when it starts shopping for answers. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Have Two Trade Decisions They Cant Afford To Miss
The Yankees are heading toward the trade deadline with the kind of roster pressure that usually forces a front office to pick priorities fast. The bullpen still needs help, the catcher spot remains unsettled, and the outfield and designated hitter mix has been thinned further by injuries, leaving the club with more holes than comfortable answers as it tries to stay on course in the American League race.
Aaron Judges situation only adds to the uncertainty, and Giancarlo Stanton being hurt again makes the lineup picture even harder to read. If the Yankees decide to buy, they will have to choose carefully between adding a bat and reinforcing the pitching staff, with names like Joc Pederson and Miguel Andujar floating as possible fits while the bigger question remains how aggressive they can afford to be. [Read more 🡒]