Building a Pirates trade package for Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. is one of the biggest names who could potentially be dealt in advance of the July 30 MLB trade deadline. Chisholm's combination of tools, youth, club control and 2024 production make him a potential target for many teams and easily the most valuable trade chip on the Miami Marlins active roster. 

Should the Marlins be shopping Chisholm or building around him? You could make strong arguments both ways, but like it or not, the team's intentions are clear: they're focused on infusing more young talent into their farm system with the expectation of contending several years down the road. Investing in the current major league roster is not a priority. If the Fish receive a fair offer for their Bahamian star, he will be on the move.

Leading up to the deadline, FOF staffers will be proposing hypothetical trades that the Marlins could make involving Chisholm. The series continues with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

How Chisholm fits in Pittsburgh

In 2024, Pirates manager Derek Shelton has platooned Jack Suwinski and Michael A. Taylor in center field, and received very poor production from both players. After an encouraging first couple of years in Pittsburgh, the former is slashing a woeful .187/.270/.332 with -9 DRS in center. Suwinski was sent down to Triple-A in late May. The latter has arguably been even worse with a lowly .198/.259/.271 slash line. Taylor has had zero extra-base hits with runners in scoring position this season. The 2019 World Series champion is still more than solid defensively—he owns a 7 DRS—but that does not make up for his issues at the plate.

Chisholm could instantly rejuvenate the Pirates lineup with some much-needed pop and speed in center field that would couple very nicely with fellow exciting names such as Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds and Ke’Bryan Hayes.

Mentoring Chisholm in the Steel City would be none other than former NL MVP Andrew McCutchen. According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, McCutchen’s positive influence would be the “most important” factor in making a Chisholm-Pirates trade succeed long term.

Even for the low-payroll Pirates, Chisholm's current $2.625 million salary would be a bargain. If this young team runs out of steam and misses out on a playoff berth, he still has two additional years of club control remaining.

Trade proposal

• Pirates receive CF/2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.
• Marlins receive RHP Thomas Harrington, SS Yordany De Los Santos, OF Tony Blanco Jr. and OF Lonnie White Jr.

The Marlins would be going for a deep prospect package in this scenario, headlined by Thomas Harrington. He's had incredible results with a 2.44 ERA and 2.51 FIP in 12 appearances (11 starts) since being promoted to Double-A. His microscopic 3.5% walk rate this season is among the lowest in the minors. Sharp command and a nasty changeup help the righty overcome below-average fastball velocity.

The rest of the package adds position player talent. After receiving Deyvison De Los Santos from Arizona in exchange for A.J. Puk, Miami adds another D.L.S. to their system, this time in the form of Pittsburgh’s #10 prospect, per FanGraphs.

Yordany De Los Santos signed with the Pirates back in 2022 for $1.2 million, one of the largest bonuses in his class. Still just 19 years old, the shortstop crushed FCL pitching this past season, slashing .344/.407/.505 with 8 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR and 24 stolen bases. “De Los Santos' tools are exciting, but his maturity, baseball IQ and instincts are really through the roof,” notes MLB Pipeline.

Defensively, Pipeline is unsure if De Los Santos will stick at shortstop as he progresses, saying “he has a good arm and those instincts help, but he’ll have to be a bit more twitchy to stay at the premium position. He’s seen time at third base throughout his brief pro career, and it’s possible he’ll end up at the hot corner permanently down the line.”

Another one of De Los Santos’ FCL teammates would join him on the flight to Miami in Tony Blanco Jr. (FanGraphs #15). Blanco, the son of former big leaguer Tony Blanco, also enjoyed a stellar season against FCL competition in his first year in the United States. Standing at an imposing 6’7" with tons of projectability, Blanco slashed .305/.385/.505 with 12 2B, 4 HR and a 12/31 BB/K ratio. His season ended a couple weeks early due to injury.

Signed as an outfielder, Blanco has also spent some time at first base and is likely to stick there long term.

The final piece coming Miami’s way is Lonnie White Jr. (FanGraphs #32). Peter Bendix and Co. would be buying low on White, who was pegged as the tenth-best prospect in the Pirates system in spring training, per MLB Pipeline. A rough year thus far in High-A Greensboro has damaged the stock of the 64th overall pick from the 2021 draft. White owns a batting average of .184, an OPS of .699 and a not-pretty BB/K ratio of 22/77.

What continues to make White so intriguing is his athletic ability and combination of power and speed. Coming out of high school, White was signed to play wide receiver at Penn State before the Pirates convinced him to forgo his college commitment. Pipeline grades White’s power tool a 50, and run a 70, and although the fourth-year player has struggled, he has still put up 12 homers and 9 stolen bases.

Previous Chisholm trade proposals

• Building a Yankees trade package
• Building a Mariners trade package

Which other teams do you want us to include in this Chisholm trade package series? Comment below to let us know.