Jazz Chisholm Jr. Rumors: 5 Best Trade Fits at the Deadline

One of the most interesting names to watch before the July 30 trade deadline is Miami Marlins IF/OF Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Chisholm hasn’t developed into the superstar he seemed on track to become a few years ago, but he’s still only 26 years old, and there’s a very real possibility that he’ll get a jolt by being inserted into a pennant race, particularly if it’s in a major media market.

It’s not a sure bet that Chisholm gets traded, though.

While Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix seems to be in the process of tearing down the current roster, Chisholm can’t become a free agent until after the 2026 season. There’s no rush to move one of the few impact players remaining in Miami if the team doesn’t get an offer it deems to be appropriate.

It’s unclear exactly what the market will be for Chisholm.

Some teams will view him as a center fielder, the position he’s primarily played for the Fish since the start of 2022. Others will want him to shift back to his natural position of second base. And there may be others who view Chisholm as most valuable when he’s moving around the diamond, playing a mix of infield and outfield.

The other reality here is that Chisholm is a big personality. There’s nothing wrong with that — if anything, the sport needs more players like him. But clubs will have to consider how he’ll fit with their respective teams, who, if they are looking to add now, are already playing pretty well.

With all that acknowledged, here are five potential landing spots for Chisholm if he is ultimately dealt before the deadline.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers may be the best fit for Chisholm.

He could be an option in an outfield where it’s still unclear exactly what Los Angeles can expect from Andy Pages, James Outman or Jason Heyward when he returns. Also of note is that Teoscar Hernández can become a free agent after the season, so the outfield is a concern for both 2024 and 2025.

Chisholm could also slide in at second base, where he would be a clear upgrade over Gavin Lux. Heck, the Marlins might be intrigued by bringing back Lux as part of the trade return for Chisholm.

Chisholm was very critical of Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas, previously his teammate in Miami, back in March. Those two would need to make amends for Chisholm to be a fit with the Dodgers. But that would be a silly thing to let stand in the way of competing for a World Series.

Seattle Mariners

By now, you’re well aware of where things stand with the Mariners: They have a World Series-caliber pitching staff and a bottom-five offense in terms of runs scored. Clearly, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto needs to make multiple additions to the starting lineup for the M’s to hold onto their lead in the AL West.

The Mariners are set in center field with Julio Rodríguez, although he needs to drastically improve his production in the second half of the season. But the offseason addition of second baseman Jorge Polanco has flopped. Ditto for right fielder Mitch Haniger and DH Mitch Garver.

Chisholm could immediately take over as the starting second baseman and could potentially be an option as a corner outfielder.

If Seattle added some thump in the form of a corner outfield/DH type and Chisholm took over at second base, it would represent a pretty big offensive upgrade. That would be especially true if Rodríguez, J.P. Crawford and Cal Raleigh all heat up at the plate.

St. Louis Cardinals

It’s not clear how willing the Cardinals will be to trade from their farm system to help improve what’s clearly a flawed team, but St. Louis has gotten pretty poor production both at second base and in center field. Plus, Chisholm is only 26, so this could be seen as a way to improve the 2024 team without mortgaging the future.

Second baseman Nolan Gorman is a former first-round pick who’s only 24 years old. He’s got just a .705 OPS this season but has still homered 17 times.

We’re not suggesting the Cardinals altogether give up on Gorman, but they could consider giving him more at-bats at DH, assuming the plan is for Willson Contreras to get the majority of his starts at catcher when he comes off the injured list.

The Cardinals could also keep Gorman at second base and use Chisholm as their primary center fielder. Michael Siani is also only 24, but while he has graded out tremendously in the field, he has an OPS below .600.

St. Louis probably wouldn’t want to give up on Jordan Walker yet, but Dylan Carlson could be a change-of-scenery candidate to go back to Miami as part of a deal.

New York Yankees

You can’t say that Chisholm wouldn’t relish the opportunity to play in New York. Whether the Yankees will ultimately be interested isn’t yet clear, but he’s worth considering, at the very least.

Alex Verdugo has had some nice moments for the Yankees, but he has a .697 OPS and is a free agent after the season. If the Yankees acquired Chisholm to play center field, Aaron Judge could shift back to right field, where there would be less stress on him physically.

What would be interesting is whether the Yankees believe Chisholm would be capable of playing third base at all, where DJ LeMahieu just doesn’t seem to have anything left. Or if Gleyber Torres would be able to move over to third base, with Chisholm playing second.

That might be wishful thinking, but it is worth noting that Chisholm could play in the outfield this year and potentially be an option to take over at second base in 2025, with Torres set to become a free agent after this season.

Philadelphia Phillies

The ideal Phillies trade candidate would be a right-handed hitting center fielder, which is why they’ve been so consistently mentioned as a possible landing spot for Luis Robert Jr.

But whether it’s because Robert gets traded elsewhere or the Chicago White Sox hold onto him, the Phillies may be forced to make some sacrifices in their search. That could mean acquiring a right-handed hitting corner outfielder and using Brandon Marsh more consistently in center field.

Another possibility is that an already very left-handed lineup acquires Chisholm to play center field.

Chisholm is hitting .277 with a .734 OPS against left-handed pitching this season, quite the improvement over his .227 career batting average and .642 OPS against southpaws. So, he’s hardly been unplayable against lefties in 2024.

Would the Phillies be a better team with Chisholm as their primary center fielder and his bat in a lineup that includes fellow lefty batters Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Bryson Stott and the aforementioned Marsh? Certainly against right-handed pitchers they would. But he probably isn’t the best fit for the Phillies either.