The Yankees deliver the first blow of a much-needed overhaul ahead of the Trade Deadline.
The Yankees came into the final weekend before the 2024 Trade Deadline in desperate need of reinforcements. Since mid-June, a promising start had faded, leaving them with a record closer to the faltering Chicago White Sox than to their main rivals.
The beginning lineup, in particular, has struggled; despite seven runs in Fenway on Friday night, superstars Aaron Judge and Juan Soto were the only players who regularly did much at the plate. Alex Verdugo’s fortunes had vanished in recent months, Gleyber Torres had continued his miserable walk year, Anthony Volpe’s hot start in April appeared to be a mirage, Giancarlo Stanton had been injured once more (along with expected contributors Anthony Rizzo and Jon Berti), and DJ LeMahieu had proven to be thoroughly washed at third base. Austin Wells and Ben Rice provided glimpses of youthful optimism, but something had to give.
The Yankees were never going to give up on the 2024 season so early, especially since Soto was only promised one year in pinstripes. New York is still in a bad rut, but mediocrity in the majors has kept them there, so they might as well try for it given the uncertainty with Soto, Judge, and Gerrit Cole all in their prime. So they were quite apparent buyers at the Trade Deadline, and they struck a deal with a similarly obvious seller.
So here we are: Jazz Chisholm Jr. will be traded from the Marlins to the Yankees in exchange for three prospects, according to numerous sources.
We’ll have more on this transaction soon, but it’s somewhat surprising given that the Yankees were previously believed to have worries about Chisholm’s reputation. Chisholm has a mixed injury history, but he was an All-Star in 2022 and is fully healthy in 2024. The southpaw is hitting.249/.323/.407 with 14 doubles, 13 home runs, 22 stolen bases, a 101 OPS+, and 1.3 rWAR. He’s played center field for Miami the last few seasons, but he recently returned to the infield ahead of trade discussions, maybe to enhance his case for versatility.
As SNY’s Andy Martino pointed out, it’s unclear where Chisholm will play. Jazz’s presence might imperil the responsibilities of Verdugo, Torres, and possibly even LeMahieu, despite the fact that LeMahieu has never handled the hot corner before.
Chisholm’s contract runs until the end of the 2026 season, so if the Yankees like what they see, they can keep him for a long. If he doesn’t take over for Torres at the keystone now, he might next year, when Torres is expected to go.
Although giving up a prospect like Agustin Ramirez is disappointing, Wells has staked his claim to the catcher position in the long run, and because Ramirez was not exactly an outstanding receiver, he was in a comparable “C/1B” position to Rice. So, if he wasn’t in the Yankees’ long-term plans, now would be the perfect moment to move him, as he’s had a fantastic year and established himself as a potential Top 100 prospect.
I don’t think this will be the Yankees’ final move. If it is, we will have issues. However, this is a small first step.
