Scouts weigh in on Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade: ‘They’re gambling on the talent’

If you wanted evidence as to how all-in Brian Cashman and the Yankees are this season, the trade for Jazz Chisholm Jr. is surely Exhibit A.

As one major league scout put it, “They’re gambling on the talent and hoping on the guy’s makeup. He’s got a high ceiling but there are red flags too. It’s probably not a trade they make if they were playing better baseball.”

In other words, it should be fascinating to see how this plays out.

The last time Cashman made a trade for a big personality, admitting at the time he thought the Yankees could benefit from someone with an edge, bringing in Josh Donaldson turned out to be an expensive disaster.

Chisholm comes with that type of reputation, personality-wise. He has rubbed Miami Marlins’ teammates the wrong way in the past and his flashiness has annoyed the opposition at times as well.

The obvious differences, however, are age, athleticism, and price tag.

At age 26, Chisholm’s best years very well could still be ahead of him. And while his transition from second base to center field hasn’t worked as well as the Marlins hoped, it does speak to his rangy athleticism, as do his 22 stolen bases this season, which gives the Yankees some speed they very much need.

Finally, he’s making only $2.63 million this season and has two more years of arbitration-eligibility before he can become a free agent following the 2026 season, so he is reasonably inexpensive.

Bottom line, the Yankees are looking for a spark offensively and they’re hoping Chisolm can provide it. At his best he has been an All-Star, making the National League team in 2022, when his .860 OPS seemed to indicate he was blossoming into a difference-maker.

However, he played only 60 games that season, missing the second half due to a back injury. And then in 2023 he played in only 97 games due to a toe injury that required surgery and an oblique issue as well.

So though Chisholm has not missed time this season, there was injury history for the Yankee to consider. But more significantly there remains the question of whether he’ll reach the ceiling scouts have long projected for him.

“He’s got the tools but he hasn’t put it all together consistently yet,” a second scout said. “Is that just a question of focus? I have to think that’s what the Yankees believe. That putting him in a winning environment will bring out the best in him.”

Indeed, Chisholm’s numbers as a Marlin were mostly pedestrian. Other than his injury-shortened season of 2022, he has been a league-average player, judging by his OPS-plus numbers of 100 last season and 101 this season.

This season he is hitting .249 with a .730 OPS, to go with those 22 stolen bases and 13 home runs as well.

“You watch and it’s hard not to think there’s more in the tank,” one scout said. “He does some things that make your eyes pop at times. I remember when he turned on (Jacob) deGrom a few years ago and hit one into the upper deck like it was nothing. And that was when deGrom was unhittable.

“But then you watch him go through stretches when he’s chasing pitches out of the zone and striking out a lot, looking a little disinterested, and it’s hard to know if he’ll ever reach that potential you see in his best moments.”

The Yankees obviously are betting on his upside, giving up three prospects in the trade, catcher Agustin Ramirez and infielders Jared Serna and Abrahan Ramirez.

Ramirez, the catcher, is intriguing to scouts mostly because of his power: he has hit 20 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A this season in 87 games and had a .942 OPS in 58 Double-A games before being promoted.

For what it’s worth, none of the prospects were in the Yankees’ Top 10 by the various farm system rankings, though one scout noted “Ramirez (the catcher) would definitely be a Top 10 guy if you were ranking (their prospects) right now.”

At this point, the Yankees can’t worry too much about prospect capital. With superstars like Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole in their prime, and Juan Soto’s pending free agency looming, this is the definition of an all-in season, and the Chisholm trade is an indication that Cashman is going big at this trade deadline.

As it is, it’s not even clear yet where Chisholm will play. The position of need is third base, yet he’s only played shortstop and second base in his career, so there is speculation about potentially moving Gleyber Torres or even trading the current second baseman before Tuesday’s deadline.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt more moves are coming,” one scout said.

Wherever Chisholm plays, the Yankees are hoping he provides a boost for an offense that desperately needs more production beyond Soto and Judge.

The feeling among scouts is that Chisholm’s lack of focus at times could be attributed to the low-energy and losing environment that surrounds the Marlins in Miami. And that he’ll be highly motivated when surrounded by the likes of Judge and Soto.

“It’s pretty clear Judge is a great leader and highly respected by everyone in that Yankee clubhouse,” one scout said. “I think Chisholm will welcome the opportunity to play with a guy like that and be at his best from day to day. If he can go to that next level you’d think this is where it will happen for him.”

Considering all that’s at stake for Cashman and the Yankees this season, it’s worth the gamble.