Building a Yankees 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 target 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, I'll be proposing hypothetical trades that the Marlins could make involving Chisholm. The series begins with the New York Yankees.

How Chisholm fits in New York

On July 11, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the Yankees have held internal discussions about Chisholm. "The extent of the interest is unknown," Heyman adds, "but Chisholm likely would play mostly infield, a Yankees need."

The Marlins have used Chisholm exclusively in center field since the start of 2023. The Yankees have mainly put Aaron Judge there with Trent Grisham taking over whenever Judge rests or serves as designated hitter. With full-time DH Giancarlo Stanton projected to return from the injured list by the deadline, their outfield will get even more crowded, hence the presumed move back to the dirt.

Second base is Chisholm's best defensive position, and this season, he has thoroughly outplayed current Yankees 2B Gleyber Torres. A Chisholm acquisition could mean parting ways with Torres in a corresponding move (he's a pending free agent) or transitioning him to third base.

True to their moniker, the Bombers rank second in Major League Baseball with 134 home runs this season. However, they are second-to-last with 38 stolen bases. Chisholm has swiped nearly half as many bags by himself! As exceptional as Juan Soto and Judge are, they aren't capable of hitting homers every game. Adding Chisholm to their squad ought to make their offense more consistent because of the new opportunities to drive in runs via singles and productive outs.

Aside from an early-season Anthony Volpe hot streak, the Yankees have gotten awful output from their leadoff hitters in 2024. Chisholm and his 107 wRC+ would be a significant upgrade.

Earning a measly $2.625M salary, Chisholm still has two more years of arbitration eligibility beyond this season. While the Yankees aim to keep Soto on a long-term deal, having Chisholm around would soften the blow of potentially getting outbid in free agency.

There is also the intangible piece of this. Jazz relishes being a celebrity. The New York lifestyle suits him perfectly, especially considering he would not carry the burden of being the team's leader or top player. Even if the Yankees crumble down the stretch, he won't be villainized for it. Those circumstances could bring out the best in him on the field.

Scott as a sweetener

It's easier said than done, but the Marlins will attempt to package multiple big leaguers in the same deal to get premium prospects in return. As appealing as Chisholm is on his own, the Yankees are reportedly pursuing Tanner Scott as well.

As I have previously written and spoken about, rental relievers like Scott are particularly valuable to teams like the Yankees, who have 96.8% playoff odds as of this writing, per FanGraphs. Relievers can have an outsized impact in October due to frequent off days. Teams with extreme confidence in themselves to make the postseason should be willing to trade more talent for them than those on the fringes of the race.

Scott's numbers have been extraordinary over the last two years. He is unfazed by platoon splits, home/road environments, days of rest, etc. His FIP in 2024 is inflated by an April slump—there's been ample evidence since then that his control is sharper than ever. Meanwhile, the Yankees don't have a reliable, high-leverage lefty of any kind.

Regardless of whether or not he'd be their full-time closer, the Bronx is an ideal landing spot for Scott.

Trade proposal

• Yankees receive OF/INF Jazz Chisholm Jr. and LHP Tanner Scott
• Marlins receive OF Spencer Jones, INF Oswald Peraza and C/1B Engelth Ureña

They could not be more different in terms of physique and baseball background, but similar to Chisholm, acquiring Spencer Jones is betting on his loud tools. Jones is Baseball America's second-ranked Yankees prospect behind only Jasson Dominguez (73rd overall on BA's Top 100 prospects list). The 6'6" left-handed hitter possesses above-average speed and plus power.

Jones has spent this whole season at Double-A, slashing .237/.317/.403 (103 wRC+) with 10 homers and 18 steals in 73 games while roaming center field.

Jones' 37.1% strikeout rate is worrisome after being in the high-20s last year. Then again, he would be untouchable right now if not for that setback. Even with that in mind, the 23-year-old would instantly take over as the top position player in the Marlins farm system.

A former Top 100 prospect himself, Oswald Peraza flunked his audition at the big league level last summer (53 wRC+, -0.4 fWAR in 52 G) and he's continuing to struggle with the stick at Triple-A this season. As desperate as the Yankees are for infield reinforcements, Peraza was passed over for a call-up yet again on Friday. He's a non-factor for them in 2024 and clogging up a 40-man roster spot. So yeah, this is a classic example of buying low.

Xavier Edwards is temporarily handling shortstop duties in Miami, though it's only a matter of time before the club concedes that he's a second baseman moving forward. There is still a void at that premium position. Peraza is an intriguing reclamation project who would get the opportunity to compete for SS reps next spring.

Ranked 26th in the Yankees system by BA, Engelth Ureña played only 11 minor league games through his first two professional seasons. Finally healthy in 2024, he has decimated the Florida Complex League (.294/.407/.559, 153 wRC+) with just as many walks as strikeouts. 

I listed Peraza before Ureña simply due to name recognition. This 19-year-old Dominican (turning 20 next month) is the true No. 2 piece of the package coming to the Fish. He'd begin the 2025 campaign with Low-A Jupiter.

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