Jazz Chisholm Jr. is shaping up as one of the more intriguing names in free agency, and the San Diego Padres have landed on the short list of possible destinations.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic included the Padres, Athletics, and Los Angeles Angels as potential fits for the 28-year-old, who spent the 2025 season with the New York Yankees. Bowden also projected Chisholm could land a six-year contract worth about $128 million.
Chisholm’s profile is easy to understand and hard to pin down. He has the kind of talent that can take over a game, but the same player can also make mistakes that hurt his team.
That volatility has made him a polarizing figure, even as his upside remains obvious. He was an All-Star in 2025, and his defensive range still stands out; Baseball Savant placed him in the 98th percentile in range.
Bowden pointed to the gap between Chisholm’s spring-training ambitions and his actual production in 2025. “Chisholm wasn’t shy in spring training about declaring his goal of hitting 50 homers with 50 steals, numbers he hoped would earn a free-agent contract worth $350 million.
Well, he hit 19 homers with 41 steals while hitting just .231, and his dream of a huge long-term contract has gone by the wayside, at least for this offseason. He’ll probably either have to sign a short-term, prove-it deal or a long-term contract with a non-contending team with opt-out clauses,” Bowden wrote.
He also noted that a return to New York does not appear likely. “It feels like the Yankees are going to move on from him even though he’d prefer to stay. He finished the year in the 23rd percentile in batting run value, but in the 85th percentile for defensive run value and 96th percentile in baserunning value.”
The fit in San Diego comes down to Chisholm’s versatility. He has moved around the diamond, having started his career in the outfield before becoming capable at both second and third base. That kind of flexibility lines up with the Padres’ tendency to stockpile talent first and sort out the positions later.
Still, the roster picture complicates things. Manny Machado is locked in at third base, which could leave second base as the clearest opening. Jake Cronenworth currently holds that spot, but he is nearing 33 and showing signs of decline.
Even so, Chisholm is not an automatic target for San Diego. The Padres already have significant money tied to several middle infielders, and their starting rotation remains unsettled. That makes the price and contract structure especially important.
If Chisholm is open to a shorter deal, or one with opt-outs built in, San Diego’s chances of landing him would seem to improve.
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