Why trading Jazz Chisholm Jr. would make zero sense for the Yankees

The bottom line: Jazz Chisholm Jr. is a star

Arguably a top-three second baseman in MLB, Chisholm is one of the best middle-infield talents in the sport both offensively and defensively. The most important part about him, though, is that he wants to be a Yankee.

"I don't want to leave New York," Chisholm told The Athletic. "If you've ever played here, you would never want to leave."

His versatility in the field has paid dividends for New York, as it has been able to utilize him as a quality third baseman and second baseman, posting five outs above average in 2025. Additionally, he still possesses the ability to play a strong center field, a position where he developed his skills during his time with the Miami Marlins. 

At the dish, Chisholm was a lightning rod for the Bombers this past season, slashing .242/.332/.481 en route to posting his first 30-30 season with 31 homers and 31 stolen bases. Although this past season saw him go into occasional slumps and streaky hitting, his impact was undoubtedly felt all across the field.

Doing away with a player of Chisholm's athleticism and effect on a baseball team, paired with the fact that he expressed heavy interest in staying with the Yankees long-term, simply would not make sense for New York.

If the Yankees did trade Jazz Chisholm Jr., who would they get?

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman recently said that he was "open-minded" about trading the 27-year-old if it could bolster their pitching staff.

With pitchers such as Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt all expected to miss Opening Day, the Bombers might look to trade for starters such as Freddy Peralta, Sandy Alcantara or MacKenzie Gore. While Peralta is more along the lines of Chisholm's value, it wouldn't be surprising to see him in a trade for a package of players from the Washington Nationals, including Gore and others.

While it would fulfill the want of some pitching help as the rotation recovers during the spring, opening up another hole in the infield that was plugged so perfectly by Chisholm would be damning for the Yankees down the stretch once the pitching staff is healthy again.

Rumors of Chisholm getting moved from the Yankees are puzzling, to say the least. It's not every day that a team can land an athletic and impactful player like Chisholm who openly admits that he wants to stay with the team.

As a likely perennial 30-30 player who can take over a game on defense and offense, New York should be looking to lock up Chisholm on a long-term deal, not trade him away. At the end of the day, this could boil down to internal issues, be a chess move for contract negotiations or just be a passing offseason rumor, but one thing is for sure: Chisholm's future in the Bronx is anything but certain.