Struggling Yankees acquire Jazz Chisholm Jr. from Marlins for 3 minor leaguers

July 28, 2024 Admin

BOSTON (AP) — Looking to spark a struggling club, the New York Yankees acquired Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Miami Marlins on Saturday for three minor leaguers: catcher Agustín Ramírez, infielder Jared Serna and infielder Abrahan Ramírez.

New York entered Saturday 10-23 after a 50-22 start, plagued by sputtering starting pitching, a shaky bullpen and an offense overly reliant on Aaron Judge and Juan Soto following injuries to Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo. Third baseman DJ LeMahieu and left fielder Alex Verdugo have been in deep slumps.

An All-Star second baseman in 2022, the 26-year-old Chisholm has played center field for most of the past two seasons.

“Excited,” Judge said after the Yankees rallied for an 11-8, 10-inning win over the Red Sox. “He’s a dynamic player, definitely you can throw him up there in the leadoff spot or wherever, he’s going to definitely lengthen this lineup. … He’s a weapon. You can put him in the outfield. You can put anywhere on the infield. He’s got speed. He’s got power.”

He is batting .249 with 13 homers and 50 RBIs this year and is a .246 career hitter with 66 homers and 205 RBIs in five seasons. Chisholm has 22 stolen bases, matching last year’s total and one shy of his career high.

“Very talented, athletic, speed, power, you know, seems like versatility, you know, can play a lot of different places,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I’ve only seen him from afar, obviously, but obviously a very talented young player.”

Chisholm has a $2,625,000 salary after losing to the Marlins in arbitration. He is eligible for arbitration again after the 2024 and 2025 seasons and can become a free agent after the 2026 World Series.

“It’s always tough to lose a dynamic player like Jazz,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “He was willing to move off positions. He was willing to move up and down the lineup. He got better when you asked him to get better in different positions or against left-handed pitching.”

LeMahieu, a two-time batting champion, didn’t make his season debut until May 28 after breaking his right foot when he fouled off a pitch during a spring training game this past March 16. A three-time All-Star, he is hitting .178 with one homer, 12 RBIs in 135 at-bats, and he has just two hits in his last 28 at-bats.

LeMahieu’s .495 OPS ranked 383rd among 392 players with 100 or more plate appearances entering Saturday and his 59.1% ground ball rate was seventh. LeMahieu struggled following a broken sesamoid bone in his right big toe that led to ligament damage in his second toe in 2022. He hit .220 in the first half last year but .273 in the second.

He has two full seasons remaining in a $90 million, six-year contract that pays $15 million annually.

Verdugo entered Saturday batting .160 (20 for 125) with one homer and seven RBIs from June 15 on, dropping his season average from .266 to .231.

In addition, rookie first baseman Ben Rice was 4 for 50 after hitting three homers in a July 7 victory over the Red Sox.

Agustín Ramírez, 22, hit .269 with 20 homers and 69 RBIs this year at Double-A and Triple-A.

Serna, also 22, batted .253 with 13 homers and 58 RBIs with High A Hudson Valley.

Abrahan Ramírez. 19, hit .348 with a pair of homers and 24 RBIs for the Florida Complex League Yankees.

“I don’t know where he’s going to hit, but he’s going to hit around Soto and Judge, which is pretty incredible,” Schumaker said. “So, it makes them better and I’m happy for him.”