Yankees Moving Jazz to Second Opens the Door For a Big Trade

On Tuesday, the New York Yankees finally pulled the trigger on a move they should’ve finalized a long, long time ago.

For months, the club had kept Jazz Chisholm Jr. entrenched as their primary third baseman, despite the fact that he was putting up below-average metrics and publicly stated he preferred playing second base.

At long last, it sounds like the team is willing to make a change amidst a rough stretch of play that’s resulted in them losing their grip on the top spot in the American League East. Sure, the Toronto Blue Jays have been red-hot as of late, but the Yankees lost their grip on the top spot just as much as the Blue Jays jumped up and took it.

On Wednesday, Aaron Boone confirmed that Chisholm is going to be making a permanent move back to second base. This will allow Oswald Peraza to shift over to third on a full-time basis. As we found out on Thursday, this also means that DJ LeMahieu was sent packing after a long stint with the Yankees.

LeMahieu has plenty of experience at first, second, and third base, but he’s lost his way defensively as he’s aged and dealt with durability concerns. The Yankees showed they were serious by cutting bait with him once they came to the realization that he was no longer of value and a help to their cause.

With all of these moving parts, there’s a lot to unpack. Let’s dive further in and see what kind of domino effect this all causes.

Stats updated prior to games on Thursday, July 10

Jazz Is Where He Belongs

First off, the Yankees made the right call moving Chisholm back to second. The 27-year-old has been one of the club’s top contributors in all facets of the game since coming over in a trade at last year’s deadline. He’s well on his way to setting career-highs in many major offensive categories and is one of the young faces of this team.

That’s the kind of player you want to keep happy. Take notes, Red Sox.

Removing his bat from the equation altogether, Chisholm has always been a much better defender at the keystone than at the hot corner. Just this year alone, he had -3 Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average at third. At second, he’s at 4 and 3, respectively. The numbers speak for themselves, you don’t need him to state out loud that he’s more comfortable at one position than the other.

It would be one thing if Chisholm wasn’t a great defender regardless of which position he lined up at. That’d make these kinds of things a little bit more awkward. No, he’s a top shelf defender at second base so if he wants to move there, the Yankees would’ve been foolish to turn him down.

As is the case with most moves like this, there are layers to this beyond Chisholm himself. Now that the Yankees have shifted him over to second, there’s a rather large hole at third base. Fortunately for the always trade-happy Brian Cashman, there are a multitude of attractive options on the trade market he could pursue.

Yankees Third Base Trade Targets

With the deadline rapidly approaching (faster than you may think!), it’s getting close to crunch time. The Yankees have an obvious need at third base, so don’t be surprised if they get desperate and make a move well before the final buzzer goes off.

Complicating matters a bit is the fact that roughly 25 teams in the league consider themselves a hot streak away from climbing back into contention. At the very least, a 10-game winning streak like the one the Blue Jays just wrapped up could get most teams back into the wild-card conversation.

This means that the vast majority of the league is going to wait until the last minute to decide whether or not they’re going to sell. Some of the Yankees’ top trade targets are on teams that fall comfortably into this category, but the good news is that others are on teams that are obvious sellers.

Let’s take a closer look at a handful of third basemen the Yankees could target in trade talks as the deadline inches ever-closer.

Looking For A Glove? How About Ke’Bryan Hayes?

Long regarded as one of the best defensive third basemen in baseball, Ke’Bryan Hayes has turned into a frustrating hitter to watch every time he steps to the plate. He has occasionally flashed some promise at the big-league level, but as of right now, he’s an elite glove with perhaps some untapped potential at the dish.

Entering the current season, Hayes reworked his swing so he could better deal with a chronic back issue that’s plagued him for quite some time. The result? Two home runs in 86 games, a .241 batting average, and a 63 wRC+.

He’s under contract through the conclusion of the 2028 season on a very team-friendly deal, and the Yankees could look to take advantage of that. The Pirates are 38-56 and 17 games out of the top spot in the NL Central. Their playoff hopes are well in the rearview mirror, and it’s time for them to start considering moving anything with a pulse.

MLB insider Jon Heyman linked the Yankees to Hayes recently, so there’s at least something to chew on here. The slick-fielding 28-year-old already has 12 DRS and 13 OAA at the hot corner this season, so his glove isn’t going anywhere. More than anything, it’s a matter of whether or not the Yankees think they can be the ones to uncover some of that offensive prowess.

Solid Glove With a Slightly Better Bat? Ryan McMahon Fits the Bill

For an unreasonably long time, the Colorado Rockies have been a team that get sentimental and hangs on to their players for longer than they should. Ryan McMahon fits that bill, as he’s gone on hot stretches multiple times over the past few years pre-deadline, only to regress as the season marches on.

Sure enough, McMahon hit .283 with four home runs, 13 RBI, and an .889 OPS through the month of May, which once again prompted the question: will the Rockies finally trade him? Clearly, the answer to this point has been “no.”

As relayed by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Rockies plan to be more open-minded at this year’s deadline, which should result in them listening to offers on players like Jake Bird, German Marquez, and McMahon.

McMahon, 30, is under team control through the conclusion of the 2027 campaign. He’s typically good for 20 home runs a year – something he’s done five times in the past six seasons – and has been an outstanding defender at third base for years.

This season, the nine-year veteran has 3 DRS and OAA at third base. He’s hit double-digit DRS in each of the past four years and has touched double-digits in OAA twice.

The Yankees may feel like he could take advantage of their short right-field porch (he’s hitting .383 with four home runs on pulled balls this year) and give them a bit of stability over the life of his contract. Not to mention that contract is team-friendly and won’t break the bank.

Yoan Moncada Is a High-Performing Rental of Interest

It’s been a while since Moncada was coming up through the ranks on the White Sox as one of the top infield prospects in all of baseball. Currently, he’s on a single-year pact with the hopelessly out-of-it Los Angeles Angels and looks like he could be one of their more attractive trade chips.

Now 30 years of age, Moncada only just returned from a five-week stint on the injured list, but he’s performed well when healthy. The switch-hitter sports a 120 wRC+ through 32 games this season, which goes hand-in-hand with the 117 wRC+ he had in a brief 12-game stint last year on the White Sox.

Moncada has six home runs and 19 RBI with a walk rate closing in on 11% and a .799 OPS, which is the highest it’s been since 2019. His best days may be behind him, sure, but he’s produced just enough where a team like the Yankees could look to take a flyer on him. The Angels don’t have much of a leg to stand on in trade talks, as he’s on an expiring contract, so the Yankees should be able to land him for a pretty low cost.

To this point, Moncada has not been formally linked to the Yankees. However, the fit makes some sense on paper, even if he’s not the sexy fit fans of the club may be looking for.

Eugenio Suarez Is Your Guy You Want Dingers

No, the sexy fit here is obviously Eugenio Suarez, who’s turned himself into one of baseball’s most prolific power hitters. The 34-year-old has hit 30 or more home runs five times since 2018 and is already one homer away from that mark pre-All-Star Game this season.

Suarez is well on his way to shattering many career-highs and could be one of the best available position players moved at the deadline. If it weren’t for Rafael Devers’ recent trade, Suarez might’ve had a case to be the best player traded this season, period.

Entering Thursday’s action, the 12-year veteran has 75 RBI, which is tied for third-most in the majors. His 29 home runs trail only Cal Raleigh, Shohei Ohtani, and Aaron Judge; and he’s right behind this group (plus Corbin Carroll) in both ISO and SLG.

The Diamondbacks are 46-47, so they’re not fully out of this thing just yet, but the gap to first place in the NL West is nine-and-a-half games and they’re also four-and-a-half out of a Wild Card spot. Again, there’s a lot that can change from a hot streak, but it’s hard to ignore that Gabriel Moreno, Justin Martinez, Pavin Smith, Corbin Burnes, and many, many others are on the injured list. It’s going to be difficult to make up ground without a handful of their biggest names.

Arizona should do what they can to remain realistic with their expectations. With Suarez set to depart in free agency in just a few months, why not trade him to a (desperate) contender who needs him and could be willing to overpay to keep their fans happy?