When it comes to the trade deadline for the Yankees, they could use improvements at multiple key positions. Some believe that second base could be a focal point, with Gleyber Torres in a disastrous year. Hoping for a new contract, Torres is pigeon-holing himself into a potential one-year deal next season or a much reduced long-term contract. On the year, he’s played 93 games, hitting .231 with a .307 OBP, including eight homers and 35 RBIs.
Potential Blockbuster Move: Yankees Could Target Jazz Chisholm Jr.
There’s a genuine belief that the Yankees could consider making a blockbuster move for 26-year-old to 2B/OF Jazz Chisholm Jr. Despite his polarizing nature, Chisholm is hitting .249/.321/.407 this year, including 12 homers and 42 RBIs with 18 stolen bases. The Bombers have struggled to steal bags, and he ranks in the 98th percentile in base running value and 79th percentile in sprint speed. He would bring some aura and energy to a team that lacks a spark.
Zack Scott of SNY floated a mock trade proposal on a podcast with the New York Post on Wednesday:
Trade Proposal: Chisholm and Scott to Yankees
Jazz would bring athleticism and underrated power to the Yankees. He tends to pull the ball to right field, which is exactly what the team needs in Yankee Stadium.
Notably, he’s underwhelming to a degree on a Miami Marlins team. Still, if the Yankees put him in the lead-off spot, Chisholm might dominate, seeing plenty of good pitches to hit ahead of Soto and Aaron Judge. Opposing pitchers will have to attack him early and often, trying to collect an out before allowing him on base. The second he’s in a dangerous situation, Soto and Judge should take care of the rest.
In addition to Jazz, the Yankees walk away with lefty bullpen arm Tanner Scott. The 29 year-old is having an electric 2024 season, hosting a 1.34 ERA, 10.04 strikeouts per nine, and 82.1% left on base rate and 48.9% ball rate over 40.1 innings. Scott will be a free agent in 2025, so they will be renting him for a year. Jazz is under contract until 2027, so they would have more control over his contract through arbitration.
Scott immediately becomes the Yankees’ best relief pitcher, even though Clay Holmes made the All-Star game. Holmes has been volatile over the past few weeks and has seen his ERA increase significantly. A bullpen reinforcement of this caliber will go a long way toward helping the Yankees in the postseason.
The Return Haul
To bring in Chisholm and Scott, the Yankees would have to cough up a massive deal, and Zack Scott believes that would include Spencer Jones, Will Warren, and Jorbit Vivas.
Jones is one of the team’s most exciting prospects and has the potential to be an elite MLB contributor down the road. The 23-year-old lefty slugger is hitting .237 in this season, including 10 homers and 46 RBIs. However, over the last month, Jones hitting .250 with four homers and 15 RBIs, including 21 games. He’s starting to find his groove, but it is evident he needs a bit more time to continue his development.
On the other hand, Warren has tossed 84.2 innings in Triple-A this season, hosting a 6.70 ERA. However, in his last four starts, he hosts a 2.95 ERA, 1.12 whip, and 26 strikeouts, including 21.1 innings. Warren is starting to find his sea legs with Scranton, but he needs a bit more time to find his groove and could end up being a starting-level pitcher if moved to another team at the deadline.
Last but not least, Vivas is an exciting infield prospect who could end up competing for the starting second base job next year if the Yankees see him as a candidate for promotion. The 23-year-old was called up just before the All-Star break to help offset the loss of JD Davis with the stomach flu but didn’t make an appearance. With Triple-A this year, Vivas is hitting .258/.404/.424, five homers, and 19 RBIs with eight stolen bases. There’s reason to believe he could be a great MLB player over the next few seasons, if not longer, depending on if the Yankees feel he’s developing nicely.
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Most agreed that this seems like a hefty deal for Chisholm and Scott. Both are good players, but the Yankees would be sending away tremendous value and controllable talented. Scott is only under control for the rest of this season before becoming a free agent, so the Yankees immediately lose a significant amount of value making this deal. This is a bad trade for the Yankees — they should stay far away from a deal that looks like this.