Fans rooting for the New York Yankees to bring back Jazz Chisholm Jr. on a prove-it, one-year qualifying offer could be in for a rude awakening.
Chisholm still appears poised to cash in despite his dreadful offensive campaign, according to Tim Britton of The Athletic, who suggested Chisholm could land a nine-figure contract in free agency.
In what’s set to be his final season under contract with the Yankees, Chisholm predicted a 50-homer, 50-steal campaign. Instead, he entered play Wednesday slashing .214/.292/.384 with 17 home runs and 32 stolen bases.
Jazz Chisholm’s Defense, History Could Land Him a Huge Contract
There’s a budding sentiment among Yankees fans and baseball observers alike that Chisholm may opt for a one-year, prove-it deal to show that this season was a mirage.
But Britton doesn’t see that happening, particularly given Chisholm’s 2.2 fWAR this year.
“I would expect teams would be interested in multi-year deals for Chisholm, but probably in the four-year range (and maybe between $20 million and $25 million per year),” Britton wrote. “Chisholm is still on pace for a three-win season, which is not bad to consider while enduring the worst slump of your career. [Boston Red Sox infielder] Trevor Story signed for six years and $140 million off that kind of season.”
Chisholm has been a below-average offensive player this season, posting an OPS+ of just 88 and a wRC+ of just 90. But Chisholm is notoriously hard on himself, and teams could view his pressure-packed 2026 as an outlier — one in which he still played solid defense.
“The question for Chisholm will be how teams balance the one-year sample versus the larger one,” Britton wrote. “If he finishes this year around 3.0 WAR, he’ll have 11.5 WAR over the last three years — more than Cody Bellinger had when he signed his $162 million deal with the Yankees last winter and close to the number Corey Seager had when he signed his $325 million contract [with the Texas Rangers].
“I’ve generally found that teams heavily weight the season entering free agency. Bellinger was close to a five-win season; Seager was at 3.6 but had been hurt.”
The Yankees Should Give Jazz Chisholm Jr. a Qualifying Offer
The Yankees may prefer a short-term solution for Chisholm, especially with Anthony Volpe working out at second base in Triple-A, and could follow the approach they took with Trent Grisham: extend a qualifying offer and hope he accepts it.
“A team with the Yankees’ resources should absolutely extend him the qualifying offer,” Britton wrote.
A qualifying offer for Chisholm would likely be worth $23.1 million — in line with market value, but for just the 2027 season. If Chisholm declines it, the Yankees would receive draft-pick compensation whenever he signs elsewhere.
Britton also explained why Chisholm might opt for the qualifying offer — still a significant raise over his $10.2 million salary this season — and bet on himself to land a bigger deal in his age-29 season. There’s precedent.
“If Chisholm wants to bet on himself to reel in a huge deal, well, there’s a blueprint,” Britton wrote. “The last second baseman whose numbers resembled Chisholm’s did take a one-year, prove-it deal. Marcus Semien proved it in Toronto, setting a new record for home runs by a second baseman, and he signed for seven years and $175 million one winter later with Texas.”
Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s Rough 2026 Won’t Stop a Nine-Figure Contract, Insider Predicts