Marlins trade OF Jazz Chisholm Jr. to Yankees in exchange for prospects

Jazz Chisholm Jr., an outfielder, was acquired by the New York Yankees from the Miami Marlins on Saturday, it was revealed.

Three prospects were acquired by the Marlins in the trade: infielders Jared Serna and Abrahan Ramírez, as well as Triple-A catcher Agustin Ramírez.

Chisholm, 26, adds depth to a Yankees lineup that, since Giancarlo Stanton’s injury last month, has depended too much on Aaron Judge and Juan Soto to provide runs on most nights. The versatile Chisholm, who was signed as a shortstop out of the Bahamas, spent his first three major league seasons largely playing second base until switching to center field in the previous season.

But because of a slew of injuries that have plagued him throughout his career, Chisholm has never played in more than 124 games in a season. He participated in 97 games the previous season due to a stress fracture in his lower back, but he has only appeared in 60 games this season. He was an All-Star in 2022. He will be governed by the team until 2026.

This season, Chisholm is hitting.249 with 13 home runs and a.730 OPS. In 94 games, he has started in center field. In the last two weeks, he has made two starts at second base, maybe as a display for teams who are considering signing him. The Yankees can use him at second base and center field.

Gleyber Torres, the second baseman for the Yankees, has had difficulty for the majority of the season but has improved after being benched in late June. In 19 games, he is batting.329 with an.899 OPS. But holes appear somewhere virtually every day. During the last six weeks, two of the least effective hitters in the majors have been third baseman DJ LeMahieu and left fielder Alex Verdugo.

Verdugo has the lowest hitting average (.160) and lowest on-base percentage (.445) going into Saturday in baseball since June 15, the day after he had three singles in a victory over the Red Sox. LeMahieu hasn’t performed much better either. Over the period, he is tied for the fourth-lowest hitting average (.172) and the second-lowest OPS (.494).

Although Chisholm has never played third base as a professional, the Yankees might have him play center field, moving Judge to left field, and second base against right-handed hitters. Torres, who also played shortstop, hasn’t done so either.

“Losing a player with Jazz’s level of play is never easy,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker stated. “He was prepared to switch places. He was prepared to switch positions in the lineup. When you challenged him to improve against left-handed pitching or in new spots, he did so.”

Chisholm has struggled in July, hitting.198 with a.642 OPS in 20 games; however, with the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium, his pull-side pop, which he has used to hit all but one of his 13 home runs this season, could be a plus.

To a squad that is 29th in stolen bases, he also provides athleticism. With 22 steals this season—roughly half of the whole New York roster—the newest Yankee is ranked in the 99th percentile of baserunners in the major leagues according to advanced stats.

New York is searching the market for bullpen help, so this move is definitely not the last one.

The Yankees gave up Agustin Ramírez, a prospect having a breakout season, to acquire Chisholm. Before being promoted to Triple-A last month, the 22-year-old catcher crushed Double-A pitching, hitting.290 with a.942 OPS and 16 home runs in 58 games.

22-year-old Serna is cutting.13 home runs and 253/.341/444 in 88 games in High-A. After spending two seasons in the Dominican Summer League, 19-year-old Abrahan Ramírez is batting.348 with a.960 OPS in 49 games during his rookie season.