Transaction Details: New York Yankees Acquired IF/OF Jazz Chisholm Jr. Miami Marlins C. Agustin Ramirez, IF Jared SernaOF/IF Abrahan Ramirez
The Yankees would benefit immediately from Jazz Chisholm Jr. because their offense is struggling and there are multiple positions he could help fill, and he’s under team control for two more years, so while I think his athleticism is a disappointment, the Yankees may be able to do something to help him perform at the next level.
For the Marlins, the Jazz era ended quietly and they gave up. Zach Gallen The team is acquiring Chisholm, currently one of the best starting pitchers in baseball, in exchange for three promising players.
I’m more interested in what the Yankees do with Chisholm over the next two years than I am in what Chisholm does with the Yankees the rest of the year. He’s been a league-average hitter the past two years, with wRC+s of 103 and 104 (100 being league average) over those years, but he has the talent and athleticism to be a lot better than that. He’s agile, quick with his hands, strong, plus-plus running, plus power. He can and should be a 30/30 player who adds value defensively. But the only area where he’s been consistently above average is in his baserunning.
Going deeper
MLB trade assessment: Can Jazz Chisholm Jr. help solve Yankees’ struggles?
His main issue has been, and still is, his eye at the plate is a weakness: he strikes out too many times in the zone, chases (and sometimes hits) balls outside the zone too often – it’s a variable reinforcement schedule that keeps him going – and doesn’t seem to catch spin very well.
Chisholm is walking the highest rate of his career this year, which could be a positive, or it could be because he’s the only pitcher walking. Major League BaseballThe Marlins lineup, even in Triple-A, has a combination of lineup average and a swing-first-and-ask-questions-later strategy. The increase in walks hasn’t improved the rest of his game, which leads me to further suspect that this isn’t a new approach for him and that pitchers don’t see much reason to throw strikes in an undisciplined lineup anyway. A few more walks for a lot less hard contact isn’t a very good trade-off.
Chisholm could be a perfect fit for Yankee Stadium. He’s a lefty with some pulling power and has hit a home run to right field or right-center this season, but not one. Whoever he replaces in the Yankees’ lineup would be an upgrade for the team this year. I’d be very interested to see what the Yankees do over the Marlins, who haven’t produced an above-average major league hitter since 2000. JT RealmutoChisholm has All-Star potential, but he clearly needs some extra guidance and mentorship to help him get out of his current league-average position.
Chisholm has primarily played center field since the start of 2023, but he has started as an infielder and would be the easiest upgrade for the Yankees if he were to man second base. Gleyber TorresBench Chisholm, a below average fielder and hitter. If you keep Chisholm in the outfield, Alex VerdugoHe’s been a reserve-caliber player this year, but I’d like to see him moved to the bench or at least temporarily to the DH position. Jason Dominguez But he’s expected to get some major league at-bats this year, and having Chisholm at second base could make that a little more likely.
Agustin Ramirez is in the midst of a breakout season. (Jonathan Dyer/USA Today)
The return for Miami is definitely quantity over quality. Agustin Ramirez He had a breakout year hitting in the Yankees’ system, but he doesn’t have a position. He was promoted to Triple-A last month and batted .290/.372/.570 in 58 games with Double-A Somerset, where he’s slashing .224/.328/.365 while grounding out nearly 60 percent of the time. He might have the hitting power to fill some kind of backup role, but he’s a poor catcher and, so far, even poorer as a first baseman.
Jarrett Serna is a 5’6″ infielder from Mexico with great hitting feel and incredible power for his size who flourished at Low-A Tampa last year. His .253/.341/.444 batting average so far this year at High-A is dragged down by a career-worst BABIP. He’s hitting hard enough to bat higher than that, and his walk rate and power should at least be good enough for a reserve role. He’s mostly played shortstop this year, but he’ll need to move to second base, where he may need some defensive work, so don’t count on him as a utility infielder.
Abrahan Ramirez is a similar player. He’s also smaller but has better batting feel and walked the same number of batters and struck out in the Florida Complex League, but his swing and bat speed aren’t as impressive. He seems more like a disappointment in terms of production than a player with long-term potential.
I’d be surprised if the Marlins got a regular in this deal, but it seems like a disappointing deal for a player like Chisholm, who is probably an average regular right now with the potential to be better.
(Top photo of Chisholm: Kirby Lee/USA Today)
