Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Put on Notice Before MLB Trade Deadline

Remember when New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm declared his goal of a 50-50 season back in the spring? And when he said he was searching for a contract worth around $350 million?

Yeah, neither of those things are going to happen.

Chisholm is slashing .222/.298/.403 with 16 home runs and 45 RBI over 409 plate appearances this season. He does lead the American League with 30 stolen bases, but for the most part, his campaign has been a disaster, and he recently admitted as such.

The problem? The Yankees need help now, especially with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger all sidelined.

Chisholm doesn't seem to be providing it, as evidenced by his 0-for-4 performance with three strikeouts in New York's 5-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday night.

With Monday's MLB trade deadline looming, Alexander Wilson of Empire Sports Media called out Chisholm, noting that the 28-year-old absolutely needs to pick up his level of performance in the dog days of summer.

"Saturday was a rough game, not a crisis. The broader concern is that it fit too neatly into a season-long pattern," Wilson wrote. "The Yankees need the athlete who can wreck a game, not a player whose best traits only show up once every few nights. August offers time to change that. It does not offer a reason to keep calling the same production acceptable."

Unfortunately, this has been the case for Chisholm for most of his career.

The talent has always been there. The consistency, however, has not. That's why the two-time All-Star owns a lifetime .759 OPS, and while that is certainly not bad, it also isn't overly impressive. Particularly from someone who carries such a big name.

New York has been rumored to be interested in San Francisco Giants second baseman Luis Arraez, which is pretty telling. It doesn't necessarily mean that the Yankees are looking to jettison Chisholm prior to Monday's 6 p.m. cutoff, but it does indicate that they aren't exactly thrilled with his production. And why should they be?

Chisholm is slated to hit free agency over the winter, and it's looking more and more like he will be playing his baseball elsewhere in 2027.

Will he get the $350 million he is seeking? Absolutely not. At this point, he would be lucky to get $150 million. But regardless, it seems rather unlikely that New York will look to re-sign him.

The Yanks just need to hope that Chisholm can find his swing between now and October.