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The Los Angeles Dodgers could upgrade their middle infield after the All-Star break. All-Star shortstop Mookie Betts only began playing the position full-time this season and had committed nine errors before his injury.
On the other hand, second baseman Gavin Lux has struggled at the plate. Bleacher Report’s Robbie Hyde proposed a trade that brings 2022 Miami Marlins All-Star Jazz Chisholm Jr. to Los Angeles.
Hyde proposed this player swap that makes Chisholm a Dodger:
- Dodgers receive: outfielder/infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr.
- Marlins receive: outfielder James Outman, catcher Diego Cartaya and right-handed pitcher Payton Martin
Chisholm has been tuning out trade rumors and focusing on playing baseball.
“Every year,” Chisholm said on July 10, according to MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola. “It’s just rumors for me. Until it happens, I don’t know, you know? So I’m going to just keep going out there playing baseball and knowing how I play, you know what I mean?”
Dodgers Send Outman for Chisholm in Proposal
Chisholm is more than a rental at the trade deadline. He signed a one-year, $2.6 million deal after losing an arbitration hearing in the offseason. He is arbitration-eligible for two more seasons.
In Hyde’s proposal, the Dodgers would be parting with two top-10 prospects and Outman. Cartaya is the organization’s No. 7 prospect and second-best catching prospect. Martin is the No. 9 prospect.
Outman, the lone major leaguer in the proposal, made his debut in 2021 for the Dodgers. He slashed .248/.353/.437in his first full season (2022). However, he was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City this season for almost two months.
“They can just insert him right into their lineup,” Hyde said of Outman going to Miami. “You’re basically replacing Jazz Chisholm with James Outman, but you get Outman for many more years than Jazz.”
Cartaya was the Dodgers’ top prospect last season. He had a .189 batting average in Double-A in 2022. This season he has a .234/.337/.362 slash line across Double-A and Triple-A. Martin has a 4.47 ERA in 12 starts across Low-A and High-A this year.
“For the Marlins too, let’s get a catcher into that system. Someone that they can really build up and be a good part of the next core for Miami. Then I have a pitching prospect in here as well, Payton Martin. They’ve got a few different pitching prospects. I think Payton Martin’s the guy that’s having a pretty decent year. He’s got some decent stuff down in the minor leagues,” Hyde said about the two prospects included in the proposal.
Dodgers Infield Situation
The Dodgers moved Betts to shortstop before the season. He is in the 10th percentile for outs above average with minus-4 in the statistic. Last season, at second base, Betts was slightly better, in the 16th percentile. If the Dodgers wish to slide Betts back to second base acquiring Chisholm would facilitate that.
Chisholm played primarily as a shortstop in the minor leagues. He played second base regularly during his first three seasons in the big leagues. In 2023 he began playing in the outfield.
Now, the Marlins are playing him at second base again to “keep his bat in the lineup every day,” manager Skip Schumaker said on July 14, according to MLB.com’s Jeff Wallner.
While Chisholm can play shortstop, the Dodgers would likely want him to play second base. The Dodgers’ primary second baseman is Lux. He is slashing .213/.267/.295 this season. Chisholm would be an instant upgrade offensively. He is slashing .249/.321/.407 with 18 stolen bases and 12 home runs. His OBP and batting average are not far off from his All-Star season in 2022.
Chisholm’s Trade Interest
Health has been a concern for the former All-Star. Chisholm, 26, has played in 90 of the Marlins’ 93 games this season. He has played over 100 games just once in his career, in 2021.
“Chisholm has put together his healthiest season to date, producing at the top of the lineup, and teams are taking notice,” The Miami Herald’s Craig Mish wrote on July 8. “Believe it or not this is the first time there has been genuine interest in Chisholm as injuries, and his personality have kept other clubs wondering what they would be getting in return.”
Chisholm will be a popular name at the deadline as there is a “growing belief” that he will be traded, according to Mish. His versatility makes him a valuable player in both the outfield and infield. The Yankees are one team that has discussed a potential trade for the Marlins star, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman on July 11.
The Marlins have already indicated their intentions when it comes to the trade deadline. With the deadline still a ways away, the Marlins traded two-time All-Star and batting champion Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres.
Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix indicated the club’s thought process when asked about trading away a proven player for players with the potential to succeed.
“It’s part of the value of the player for the rest of the season when unfortunately our record is what it is and the fact is that we’re unlikely to make the playoffs this year,” said Bendix, according to the Miami Herald’s Jordan McPherson. “Trading that for future value seems like the right thing for this organization right now.”
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