Marlins trade Chisholm to Yankees
Coming soon to the Bronx: a little smooth Jazz.
The New York Yankees acquired outfielder/second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Miami Marlins in exchange for prospects Agustin Ramirez, Jared Serna, and Abrahan Ramirez, the teams announced Saturday.
Chisholm, a 2022 All-Star, is hitting .249/.323/.407 with 13 home runs, and 22 stolen bases in 101 games this season. The 26-year-old has primarily played center field this year but has made three appearances at second base within the last month.
It's not yet clear where Chisholm will slot in defensively for the Yankees given their current logjams at multiple spots. A natural infielder, he began his career at second before moving to center full-time last year. Chisholm's positive defensive numbers took a huge hit in the outfield, and his preference is to shift back to the infield, sources told Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Using Chisholm in a super-utility role is a distinct possibility. New York's biggest need right now is at third base - DJ LeMahieu, who's currently slotted there, has had a subpar season at the plate - although Chisholm's never played that position in the majors. He also has 46 games of big-league experience at shortstop under his belt from earlier in his career.
The Yankees are hoping Chisholm can spark a talented team that's been in a slump for the last six weeks. New York's gone 6-17 since June 15 and enters Saturday having lost three straight and five of six.
Originally signed by Arizona out of his native Bahamas in 2015, Chisholm is a lifetime .246/.309/.440 hitter with 66 homers, 205 RBIs, and 81 steals across parts of five campaigns with the Marlins. He's earning $2.625 million in 2024 and won't reach free agency until after the 2026 season.
Agustin Ramirez, who was added to the Yankees' 40-man roster last winter, is ranked by Baseball America as New York's No. 3 prospect. Regarded as an offense-first catcher, he put up a .269/.358/.505 slash line with 20 homers, 69 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases over 87 games split between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The 22-year-old's long-term defensive position is in question due to his struggles behind the plate; he's thrown out just seven of 66 base-stealers this year. To that end, he's begun seeing time at first base and DH and has logged over 130 innings at the former position this season.
Serna, New York's No. 11 prospect per BA, has played three infield positions during his minor-league career but has suited up almost exclusively at shortstop this year. The 22-year-old is hitting .253/.341/.444 with 13 homers, 58 RBIs, and 11 steals in 88 games at High-A Hudson Valley in 2024.
Third baseman Abrahan Ramirez, 19, also has experience playing second and left field. Signed by the Yankees out of Venezuela in 2022, he's hitting .348/.447/.513 with two homers and 24 RBIs in 49 contests with the Florida Complex League Yankees this season, his first in the United States.