Why Yankees must absolutely not trade Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Chisholm is coming off a remarkable season for the Yankees. He was arguably their second-best player in 2025 behind the spectacular Aaron Judge. Chisholm had a 4.2 WAR season that included 31 home runs and 31 stolen bases.

He slashed .242/.332/.481 as he played in 130 games, had 531 plate appearances and delivered 112 hits while walking 58 times. Chisholm struck out 148 times — a very concerning figure — but not shocking considering the way the game of baseball is played in the modern era.

There have been multiple rumors that the Yankees are looking to trade Chisholm even though he is coming off a dynamic season. One of the reasons for those rumors is that Chisholm has just one year left on his contract.

He is scheduled to earn $11.7 million in the upcoming season and then he will be eligible for free agency. This is widely known in MLB circles and nobody knows it better than Cashman. Unlike most general managers, Cashman is more than willing to let his players go to free agency so they can see what the market will give them.

The Yankees have more than enough capital to bring those free agents back into the fold if he wants them to continue to wear the pinstripes. The Yankees did not re-sign Aaron Judge until he was a free agent in 2023 and it appeared he could have signed a new deal with the San Francisco Giants. However, he ultimately decided to stay with the Yankees.

It does not seem likely that Cashman would alter his philosophy this year with a potential work stoppage looming in 2027, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want Chisholm in the lineup for the upcoming season.

Yankees pursuit of Bo Bichette could make Chisholm available

One of the reasons that trade rumors involving Chisholm have surfaced is Bo Bichette’s availability on the free agent market. The belief is the Yankees could move Bichette from shortstop to 2nd base if they were able to secure his services, and that would seemingly make Chisholm vulnerable to a trade.

One theory is that the Yankees have Anthony Volpe at shortstop and McMahon at 3rd base, so that would shift Bichette to 2nd base. However, that’s not necessarily the case. Volpe is coming off a very disappointing season and while Bichette may not be the best defensive shortstop, he is in the prime of his career at age 28 (as of March 5) and he can still play shortstop.

A lineup that includes Judge, Bichette and Chisholm would be very difficult for opposing pitching staffs to slow down. That sounds quite a bit better than having Volpe in the lineup without Chisholm. Volpe is coming off a season with 19 home runs and 18 stolen bases while slashing .212/.272/.391 and a WAR of 1.6.

The Yankees need to hold on to Chisholm and keep him as a key part in the lineup that Boone will fill out on an every-game basis in 2026. They should not trade him.