Jazz Chisholm traded to Yankees

The Yankees acquired second baseman/outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Marlins for a package of three prospects.

One of the prospects headed to Miami is catcher Agustin Ramirez, the Yankees’ 20th-ranked prospect. Ramirez, however, was poised to vault into New York’s top five in MLB Pipeline’s midseason Top 30, as he has torn up the Minor Leagues this season. Infielders Jared Serna and Abrahan Ramírez are also headed to the Marlins in the deal. Serna is ranked 19th on the Yankees’ prospect list.

Voted in as the National League’s starting second baseman for the 2022 All-Star Game, Chisholm has spent the vast majority of the past two seasons in center field, where he moved in order to make room for Miami’s acquisition of All-Star second baseman Luis Arraez. Arraez was traded to the Padres in May, but only recently did Chisholm return to second a couple of times a week to cut back on how much running he was doing in the outfield. are also headed to the Marlins in the deal.

Prior to the Yankees’ game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Saturday night, manager Aaron Boone stopped short of giving any official statement, noting, “Nothing’s done, so I can’t really say much.”

However, Boone did add his thoughts on Chisholm as a player: “Very talented, athletic, speed, power. … I know from afar there’s some versatility there, and the athleticism, power, speed are all attractive qualities.”

Entering 2024, the two biggest questions concerning Chisholm were his ability to stay healthy and hit against left-handers. He has proven himself on both fronts. The left-handed-hitting Chisholm, who already has surpassed his total number of games from ’23 with 101, has a better average (.254 to .246) and on-base percentage (.324 to .323) vs. southpaws this season.

While Chisholm’s home run rate is down, he has double-digit taters (13) and stolen bases (22) for the fourth consecutive season. Chisholm has one of the best improvements in whiff rate, from 35.7% to 28.6%, in baseball despite seeing fewer pitches to hit. He also showcases elite baserunning run value, according to Baseball Savant.

The 26-year-old Chisholm is no stranger to Deadline deals, having gone from Arizona to Miami for right-hander Zac Gallen in a rare prospect-for-prospect deal in 2019. Chisholm, who is making $2.63 million in ‘24, has two more years of arbitration eligibility before he can become a free agent.

“It‘s an anxious time for players, certainly, understandably,” said Boone of Tuesday’s Trade Deadline. “Some players, I feel like, love it and thrive in it; others, it’s an anxious time for them. It’s different every year for different guys.”

Ramirez, who turns 23 in September, has slashed .269/.358/.505 with 20 homers and 18 stolen bases this season, most of that for Double-A Somerset. After a slow start following a promotion to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre, Ramirez has picked up the pace, hitting .324 while hitting safely in his past eight games. But overall, his stock had soared both within the Yankees’ system and on a national level.