Yankees Could Bring Jazz Chisholm Back if They Consider These Stats

I don't necessarily agree that the New York Yankees absolutely need to get rid of Jazz Chisholm Jr. 

That isn't to say Chisholm had a great year, which was concerning given it was a free-agent campaign, finishing with 19 home runs, 55 RBIs, and a .231 batting average. His .399 slugging percentage was also by far the worst of his career, in which he's played more than 21 games. 

However, I also think it's fair to say he's done a lot of good throughout his career, and dismissing him instantly seems a bit premature. Chisholm is coming off a season in which he hit 31 home runs and put up a slugging percentage of nearly .500 at .481, showing that he had all the tools to be a legitimate power threat and a guy who can steal bases with an impressive 31 stolen bags. 

He had 41 this past year, but the power dip is going to cost him money.

That's also part of the reason why the Yankees might want to bring him back. SNY recently examined why New York could consider a reunion, and the numbers suggest that it isn't as crazy as it might seem.

“His skill set is immense -- when fully activated, anyway. He had 31 homers and 31 steals in 2025 to join Alfonso Soriano (twice) and Bobby Bonds as the only players with a 30-30 season in pinstripes. Chisholm was inspired enough by those numbers to muse this spring about joining Shohei Ohtani, the only player ever to have 50 homers and 50 steals in one year. Didn’t happen, obviously.

“His homer output dipped to 19 this season, but Chisholm, who will be 29 years old in February, stole a career-best 41 bags, which was tied for the fourth-most in the majors. In general, he's a quality baserunner and some metrics paint him as a fine defender at second. The upcoming free agent class is generally considered to be meh. Chisholm, even coming off a down season in terms of production and optics, is one of the better hitters available,” SNY’s Anthony McCarron wrote.

It's tough to get a feel for what Chisholm might be at this stage of his career because of how he looked this season, but at 28, he doesn't feel like a guy who's instantly going to be bad at baseball. 

He had a bad year, and there were a lot of factors as to why, which is ultimately something the Yankees have to think about. 

Perhaps they can find a contract that makes sense for both sides, though I suspect Chisholm will want to be paid, and the Yankees might not be willing to offer a lucrative deal.