The New York Yankees are sending some pretty clear signals on Jazz Chisholm.
While the biggest news coming out of the Bronx on New Year's Day is that the New York Yankees lost out on Tatsuya Imai (and to the Houston Astros, of all teams), we cannot ignore another report that has surfaced in Yankeeland.
Jon Heyman of The New York Post has revealed that the Yankees have checked in on free-agent infielder Bo Bichette, who has also drawn interest from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.
The question is, where does Bichette fit?
Well, sliding him in at shortstop — where he has always played — seems like the natural course of action, but then you'll remember that Bichette is one of the worst defensive shortstops in baseball and has already noted he would be open to playing second base.
New York certainly wouldn't allow Anthony Volpe or Jose Caballero to block Bichette at shortstop, but it has top prospect George Lombard Jr. waiting in the wings. So does this mean that Jazz Chisholm could be on the move?
Chisholm has been at the center of trade speculation this winter with just one year remaining on his contract. The 27-year-old slashed .242/.332/.481 with 31 home runs and 80 RBI over 531 plate appearances in 2025, also stealing 31 bases.
Bo Bichette. Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images.However, Chisholm has a rather checkered injury history, is a streaky hitter and has a fiery personality that may not mesh in the Yankees' mostly subdued environment long term.
The two-time All-Star could find himself landing $200 million or more on the open market next offseason, and New York may not be willing to pay that price.
Now, do I think the Yanks should pay a similar cost for Bichette? No. Again, his defense is awful. But it seems like the Yankees are at least considering it, which signifies that the writing could be on the wall for Chisholm as far as a potential trade is concerned.
The Yankees seem committed to the idea of Volpe and Caballero at shortstop in 2026. They seem far less committed, however, to Chisholm. At least publicly.
And remember: it was general manager Brian Cashman who said earlier this offseason that New York would be open to "challenge trades" on some of its talented hitters and that the lineup was too rife with lefties.
That indicates Chisholm could be on the chopping block, and the Yankees' apparent interest in Bichette further exemplifies that.