Jazz Chisholm Jr. is the kind of player with such impressive talent that he could change an entire playoff series by himself.
The New York Yankees sure will be hoping that works out in their favor as they begin action in the Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.
The reality, though, is that Chisholm is also inconsistent, and that the Yankees have a lot of different lineup options.
They could also consider sitting Chisholm in games in which they play against a left-handed starting pitcher — like Game 1 against Boston’s Payton Tolle.
Chisholm is a bold fella, proclaiming before the season that he wanted to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases and coming up quite short of the target.
His personality and swagger are what make him great. They also could be what contribute to his ups and downs on the diamond.
And looming over all of this is the fact that when the season is over, Chisholm might have to find a new baseball home.
Jazz Chisholm Contract
Chisholm just completed the final season of his arbitration years. He was paid $10.2 million for the 2026 season.
He’ll earn a lot more than that in free agency, although he is the kind of player who there will be some divisive opinions on.
It’s also not clear yet whether the Yankees themselves would be interested in bringing Chisholm back. He’ll turn 29 in February, so age isn’t necessarily a concern. It’d be more about the cost and length of the contract.
Everything will be more complicated this offseason, too. Baseball could be hurtling toward a lockout, and that could change how the regular timeline of offseason free agency proceeds — whether that’s good or bad for a guy like Chisholm remains to be seen.
This is a future concern and not a present concern, to be sure. But once the Yankees’ season ends, it will quickly become a part of the spotlight.
Jazz Chisholm Stats
Instead of the aimed-for 50/50, Chisholm hit 19 home runs and stole 41 bases in 137 games this season. He batted .231.
Most concerning, though, is that Chisholm had a .711 OPS, the lowest he’s had since his short rookie season with the Marlins in 2020.
Chisholm struck out a career-worst 157 times, as well, not the trend you want to see out of a guy hoping for a big contract in free agency.
A year ago, Chisholm was an All-Star as he hit 31 home runs and stole 31 bases while putting up an .813 OPS. He’s at least partially that player still, even if he had a bit of a down year in 2026.
He actually could raise his value considerably if he puts up a big playoff performance and the Yankees go on a run. And in that case, it would also be tougher for the Yanks to move on from Chisholm.
There’s definitely a lot hanging in the balance in this postseason for Chisholm.
Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Crossroads Looms as Playoffs Begin