Yankees Must Avoid Familiar Mistake With Jazz Chisholm

Last offseason, the New York Yankees were widely expected to lose Trent Grisham in free agency. After the breakout outfielder smashed 34 home runs while recording an .811 OPS, just about everyone thought Grisham would land a long-term deal elsewhere.

The Yankees tendered a qualifying offer to Grisham, so if he did depart, they would reap a draft pick. But instead, Grisham accepted New York's QO, and now, the Yankees are paying him $22 million to post a .700 OPS and play bad defense.

It definitely wasn't the right move on the part of New York, and it's something it should avoid with Jazz Chisholm this winter.

Like Grisham, Chisholm is hitting the open market this offseason, and like Grisham, the general expectation is that he will net a multi-year contract with a different team.

The difference, though, is that Chisholm is in the midst of a brutally disappointing campaign. While he's been better of late, he entered Wednesday night's action with a .232/.311/.408 slash line. Talk about bad timing.

But in reality, Chisholm has never truly been a star, owning a lifetime .761 OPS while being rather inconsistent defensively. He's a decent player for sure, but he's very frustrating, and he isn't worth re-signing if you're the Yankees.

That includes the qualifying offer.

New York will have the opportunity to tender a QO to Chisholm much like it did with Grisham last year, and this time, it would be around $23 million.

Considering how poor of a season Chisholm is having, there is a world in which he accepts such an offer to bet on himself for 2027. He could then seek a long-term deal the following offseason.

That's why the Yanks shouldn't even bother offering it to him.

Chisholm was certainly good in 2025, finishing with 31 homers and an .813 OPS. But that season was a slight outlier for the 28-year-old, whose only other similar campaign came with the Miami Marlins in 2022 when he posted an .860 OPS in just 60 games.

The Yankees are no longer the incredibly free-spending organization they were during the George Steinbrenner days. They still spend a lot, sure. But they are much more careful now, and they account for every dollar.

Bringing back Chisholm in any capacity would represent a massive risk and could prevent New York from actually improving. And if we're being honest, Luis Arraez — Chisholm's former Marlins teammate — is a far superior fit.

The Yankees might feel tempted to make the qualifying offer to Chisholm, but they should resist the urge.