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The Yankees are not letting Jazz Chisholm Jr. go anywhere, which feels like the right call.
Jon Heyman reported that New York likes Chisholm and is not expected to entertain trading him before the deadline. That matters because the Yankees have plenty of holes to address, and moving an everyday player can be tempting when the roster needs help in other spots.
The Yankees are choosing to keep the athletic second baseman with power, speed, and enough defensive flexibility to make the lineup work in different ways. That feels like the right call.
The Yankees are choosing athleticism
Brian Cashman has already called Chisholm above average and pointed to the full package: defense, stolen bases, power, and the ability to change a game with his legs. That evaluation still makes sense even when the batting line gets ugly.
Chisholm is the type of player the Yankees need around their bigger bats. He can run, take an extra base, cover ground in the field, and put pressure on a defense. There are nights when the swing is not perfect and he still changes the game.
He also brings some chaos, for better and worse. Yankees fans have seen the ejection, the candy, the big swings, and the stretches where the at-bats look rushed. I would rather deal with that than watch him do all of it for another team.
Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s numbers do not tell the whole story
Through July 19, Jazz Chisholm Jr. was hitting .224/.302/.396 with a .698 OPS. The line is not what anybody wants from a middle-of-the-order player, and the Yankees still need more consistency from him.
He also hit a go-ahead solo home run against the Dodgers on Sunday. The frustrating part of Chisholm is that the season can look flat for a week, then he does something that reminds everybody why the Yankees wanted him in the first place.
The answer cannot be pretending the numbers are fine. The answer also cannot be treating one rough stretch like proof that the player has no place in the long-term plan.
The deadline stance matters
New York has a catcher, bullpen, rotation, and infield needs to sort through. Chisholm does not have to be the solution to all of those problems, but trading him would create another decision while removing one of the more explosive players from the lineup.
He is also entering his final year of arbitration eligibility and can reach free agency after the season. That makes the deadline decision more interesting, but it does not make a trade automatic. The Yankees can keep him now, see how the rest of the season plays out, and decide later whether an extension makes sense.
I like the stance from the Yankees. Fix the pitching and catching, then keep Jazz. When he is healthy and locked in, the lineup needs exactly the kind of speed and power he brings.
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