Analyzing the Chisholm trade from all sides

The Marlins moved on from one of their franchise players, while the Yankees added a dynamic bat to their lineup. Miami and New York completed one of the biggest trades so far in 2024, a four-player swap sending infielder/outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the Bronx for three prospects Saturday.

It was a deal between two teams in very different positions, with the Yankees jockeying for first place in the American League East and the Marlins in last in the National League East. Both clubs got what they wanted -- a dynamic and versatile bat for New York and a trio of prospects, including a fast-rising young catcher, for Miami.

TRADE DETAILS

Yankees receive: INF/OF Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Marlins receive: 2B/SS Jared Serna (NYY No. 19 prospect), C Agustin Ramirez (NYY No. 20 prospect), SS Abrahan Ramirez

Here is a breakdown of this intriguing exchange from all angles, via MLB.com experts:

Why it makes sense for the Yankees
Via writer/researcher Theo DeRosa

Why not take a swing? Chisholm’s talent is well known, even if he hasn’t always produced significantly and has missed plenty of time with injuries during his career. Apart from Anthony Volpe, the Yankees lacked a true speed threat in their lineup, and Chisholm has some pop in his bat, too. With such little production from the Yankees’ bats outside of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge this season, adding Chisholm should help New York’s offense -- not to mention its defense, since Chisholm is an above-average fielder whether he’s in center field or at second base.

The Yankees paid a considerable price for Chisholm, who is under team control through 2026, but they managed to avoid parting with their top two prospects, outfielders Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones. Catching prospect Agustin Ramirez has seen his stock rise significantly, but the Yankees are fine behind the plate for now with Austin Wells and Ben Rice. It was a move New York could afford to make at a time it needed to make one. MORE >

Why it makes sense for the Marlins
Via Marlins beat writer Christina De Nicola

With one of baseball’s weaker farm systems, the Marlins’ front office wants to replenish the system and do so with impact bats -- something it lacks.

Miami is trending that way after two moves ahead of Tuesday's 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline. On Thursday, the Marlins acquired a pair of Arizona's Top 30 prospects, including corner infielder Deyvison De Los Santos, who leads all Minor Leaguers with 28 homers.

Agustin Ramirez, one level away from the big leagues after being promoted from Double-A to Triple-A, ranked second among all Minor League backstops with 20 homers. He also fills a need in the Marlins' catcher-thin organization. In 2024, Miami backstops have the worst wRC+ (33) in the Majors. The Marlins' only ranked catching prospects entering Saturday were Double-A Pensacola's Joe Mack (No. 27) and Triple-A Jacksonville's Will Banfield (No. 30).

The 26-year-old Chisholm is no stranger to Deadline deals, having gone from Arizona to Miami for right-hander Zac Gallen in a rare prospect-for-prospect deal in 2019. Chisholm, who is making $2.63 million in 2024, has two more years of arbitration eligibility before he can become a free agent. MORE >

Prospect profile
Via MLB Pipeline

C Agustin Ramirez (No. 20 on Yankees’ Top 30)
Age: 22
Ht: 6’ 0” / Wt: 210 lbs.
Bats: R / Throws: R
Signed: July 12, 2018 (from Dominican Republic)
MLB ETA: 2026

Scouting grades (on 20-80 scale): Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 30 | Arm: 55 | Field: 40 | Overall: 40

2024 stats
Class AA Somerset: .290/.372/.570, 16 HR, 49 RBIs, 13 SB in 58 G
Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre: .224/.328/.365, 4 HR, 20 RBIs, 5 SB in 29 G

Ramirez garnered the highest bonus paid to a Dominican catcher in the 2018-19 international class, signing with the Yankees for $400,000. He spent three years in Rookie ball and lost 2020 to the pandemic shutdown, so he didn't arrive in full-season ball until 2023, when he slammed 18 homers while rising from Single-A to Double-A and claimed a spot on New York's 40-man roster. He mashed 20 homers in 87 games at the upper levels of the Minors this year before the Yankees shipped him to the Marlins as the headline prospect in the deal for Chisholm.

With his short right-handed stroke, bat speed and strength, Ramirez makes consistent contact and produces impressive exit velocities. He showed more discipline and did a better job of using the entire field in 2023, fueling optimism that he'll be able to tap into most of his plus raw power. He has struggled in his initial taste of Triple-A this summer, chasing too many pitches and producing a lot of rolled-over grounders to his pull side.

Ramirez stands out much more for his offensive upside than his defensive prowess. He lacks agility and soft hands, so his receiving, framing and blocking all need plenty of work. He has solid arm strength but a slow release that led to 104 steals in 132 attempts (79 percent) in 80 games last year, and some scouts believe he'll wind up at first base.

Trade Deadline implications
Via senior national reporter Mark Feinsand

The Yankees acquired the versatile Chisholm, who can fill an infield or outfield spot -- or both -- for New York. That won’t prohibit the Yankees from pursuing more hitters between now and Tuesday, as players such as Luis Rengifo or Lane Thomas would still improve the roster.

The Marlins now have one less chip to trade, but president of baseball operations Peter Bendix will be plenty busy, as Miami is still expected to get interest on Tanner Scott, Bryan De La Cruz and Jesús Luzardo among others.

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Diving deep
Via editor/writer Andrew Simon

Chisholm has gotten a lot of hype in his career relative to his actual level of production, but given the situation the Yankees find themselves in at the moment, his acquisition makes a lot of sense, even if he doesn’t enjoy a long-awaited breakout in the Bronx.

The Yankees, battling to keep pace with the Orioles atop the AL East, were only 6-13 in July entering Saturday. And one reason is that their offense has been overly reliant on two superstars: Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. Giancarlo Stanton’s impending return from the IL should help, but even so, New York has not been getting enough production from the likes of Volpe, Alex Verdugo and Gleyber Torres to sustain a deep lineup.

Even if Chisholm himself isn’t enough to radically alter that dynamic, he should help. Despite struggling to stay healthy and reach his ceiling in Miami, the 26-year-old left-handed batter owns a 102 career OPS+ (slightly above league average). That includes 101 this season, when he was slashing .249/.323/.407 with 13 home runs, 50 RBIs and 22 stolen bases in 101 games for the Marlins.

Chisholm brings a rare power-speed dynamic to the Yankees, with per-162-game averages of 27 homers and 33 steals in his career. He ranks in the 74th percentile in barrel rate this season, and the 87th percentile in sprint speed. And there is always the chance of a boost from the Yankee Stadium short porch. (Per Statcast’s calculations, if all of Chisholm’s batted balls this season were hit at Yankee Stadium, he would have six more homers than his actual 2024 season -- the biggest boost at any stadium other than Great American Ball Park.)

While Chisholm should make the Yankees’ lineup better, it’s not exactly clear how he will fit into it. The Marlins moved him from shortstop to second base to center field, only recently getting him his first reps of the season at second. The good news is that Statcast’s Outs Above Average has graded Chisholm as above average at both spots. That versatility means he could spell Judge in center and Torres at second base, perhaps moving around depending on matchups. (As with many lefty batters, Chisholm has performed much better against right-handed pitching over his career.)

And while the Yankees’ focus, as always, is on winning right now, it’s also important that Chisholm is under team control through 2026. With Torres, Soto and Verdugo all pending free agents, acquiring Chisholm gives the Yankees some valuable insurance heading into the offseason.

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Stat to know
Via MLB.com research staff

43: That’s the number of steals by the Yankees this season, a total that ranks 29th in MLB ahead of only the Giants (37). Volpe has 18 of those steals, and no other Yankee has more than five. The addition of Chisholm should unlock something for New York’s offense: Chisholm has stolen 22 bases this season, tied for 12th most in MLB. His success rate hasn’t been great -- Chisholm has been caught stealing eight times in 2024 -- but the upside is certainly there. If he can stay healthy and keep running, he can help the Yankees improve in an area of deficiency.