The New York Yankees saw their season come to an end at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays when they were swept in the American League Division Series. Now, they have a few players who are free agents and may not be back in 2027.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. may be one of them. He hit 19 home runs and stole 41 bases during the regular season, but also slashed .231/.312/.399 with a .711 OPS and just 55 RBI.
Chisholm is a former Silver Slugger and two-time All-Star, but there are reasons for the Yankees to not try and re-sign him for 2027. Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report had Chisholm on a list of “buyer beware” free agents.
“Over the previous half-decade, Jazz Chisholm Jr. had been a considerably better-than-average hitter against fastballs.,” Miller wrote. No one was confusing him with Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani, but he had a .508 slugging percentage against the collection of four-seamers, sinkers and cutters—on par with the likes of Bobby Witt Jr. and Corbin Carroll.
“This year, however, his barrel rate plummeted. He ended up with a run value against fastballs that ranked in the bottom five percent among qualified hitters.
“After posting actual and expected slugging percentages of .481 in 2025, Chisholm finished with .399 and .366 in 2026, respectively.”
Why Teams Should Avoid Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Chisholm has not been himself this season, and that may ultimately be a sign that the veteran second baseman is starting to decline a little bit. So, based on his stats, avoiding him might be the best call for many teams looking for second basemen in free agency.
Chances of him staying with the Bronx Bombers are slim, so the Yankees will have to look into making an upgrade at second base. That could perhaps be where Anthony Volpe ends up now that George Lombard Jr. is in the big leagues.
But he struggled in a ballpark where hitting home runs is not too difficult for left-handed hitters. The right field porch at Yankee Stadium is notoriously short, so teams could potentially look at that as a red flag for Chisholm and a reason not to pursue him. So, it will be interesting to see what his market looks like, but chances of him getting the $300 million he said he was hoping for are slim to none.
If a team does ultimately sign him, it will likely be more of a bargain pickup than anything else.
Why Teams Could Still Sign Jazz Chisholm Jr. Despite Down Season
There are reasons for teams to also choose to pursue Chisholm. Firstly, he’s a left-handed hitter with power that wouldn’t cost too much in free agency after a down season. He could take a short-term deal to bet on himself and potentially return to free agency after 2027.
But sometimes, a change of scenery can help a player, and that might be the case for Chisholm. Playing in New York does come with a lot of pressure, and while he can certainly handle pressure, another environment might be more conducive to him succeeding in the future.
He also still runs the bases well and is skilled at stealing bases. Teams may want some speed on their rosters, and he can certainly fill that role.
Writer Warns MLB Teams Not to Pursue Yankees 2-Time All-Star