Yankees Surprisingly Open to Trading Star Infielder

Now in the midst of the MLB winter meetings, the New York Yankees are making their priorities more clear, and they are quite aware of their lefty-heavy lineup.

In a bold trade proposal last week, MLB's Bryan Hoch posited that the Yankees might leverage second baseman Jazz Chisholm's talents in trade to help them meet some of their bigger offseason goals. Now in the winter meetings, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is open to the possibility for a few reasons.

The Yankees have a notoriously lefty-heavy lineup, and that includes Cody Bellinger, the Yankees' free agent priority this offseason who had an excellent year in 2025. The team is clearly looking for solutions to imbalance in their lineup, and it might come at the expense of Chisholm in pinstripes.

“[Chisholm] is somebody who I think is currently part of the solution, someone who has made us better by getting him two deadlines ago and giving us athleticism,” Cashman said. “He’s above average. He’s an All-Star second baseman. Great defense. Steals bags. Power. All that stuff. So he’s been a good get."

Oct 7, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) hits a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game three of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

"But at the same time, the collection of all, whether it’s third base, second base, first base, catcher, center field … they’re all left-handed. Again, we’ll be open-minded. My default is that these are all individually good players. We acquired them for a reason — because we wanted them — and they have been productive with us. … But the job is to be open-minded to anything, everything, regardless.”

Yankees' Potential Infield Heading Into 2026

Chisholm's merits were clear in 2025, when he was healthy, and he finished with a stunning 31 homers and 31 stolen bases. It would be difficult to part with Chisholm, too, because he is one of their stronger infielders heading into 2026.

New York Yankees first base Ben Rice (22), third base Ryan McMahon (19), and second base Jazz Chisholm Jr — Sep 30, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees first base Ben Rice (22), New York Yankees third base Ryan McMahon (19), and New York Yankees second base Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) look on during the National Anthem before the game against the Boston Red Sox during game one of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

First baseman Ben Rice, also a lefty, appears to be an Opening Day lock after a standout sophomore season (his .836 OPS and .499 SLG came second only to Aaron Judge), and the others are a little fuzzier. Third baseman Ryan McMahon, also a lefty, had a disappointing offensive season (but a Gold Glove finalist-caliber defensive season).

The shortstop role has yet to be nailed down as well, with an injured Anthony Volpe leaving a hole where Jose Caballero or Oswaldo Cabrera could go while he recovers from his offseason shoulder surgery. Shortstop and third seem like the most obvious places to improve, but if they can land a strong righty bat in a Chisholm trade, it's clear the Yankees are willing to do it.

They obviously have one of the best right-handed batters ever to play the game in Judge, but the imbalance obviously still leaves them vulnerable. It's possible that Chisholm, with just one year left under team control and no clear extension in sight, could be the price they pay to fix that problem.

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