Is it time for the Miami Marlins to extend Jazz Chisholm Jr.?

Is it time for the Miami Marlins to extend Jazz Chisholm Jr.? The best second baseman in the game. The Miami Marlins control Chisholm through the 2027 season, but the better he performs the more expensive he will become. It makes sense for the Miami Marlins to jump ahead and extend him now while the price can potentially be kept low. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is a very marketable superstar and locking him up is key to the team’s success.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. is the best second baseman in the game.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. currently has 2.0 WAR and is batting .251/.306/.543 with 12 home runs and 40 RBI in 48 games and 175 at bats. The batting average and on base percentage don’t look particularly impressive, but the power is real and so is his speed 910 stolen bases) and defense (0.5 dWAR).

Jazz Chisholm Jr. is only 24 years old but he is easily the best second baseman in the game. Who is his competition? Ozzie Albies from the division rivals Atlanta Braves has 0.8 WAR and is hitting .244/.289/.405 with 8 home runs and 33 RBI in 62 games and 242 AB’s. He batted .259/.310/.488 last season and had 3.4 WAR, a mark that Chisholm should eclipse this season.

I specifically mentioned Albies, because of his extension: 7 years/$35 million that he signed in 2019 in his third season and second full one. By the time this season ends, Jazz Chisholm Jr. will have finished his third season and his second full one as well. It certainly looks like being comparable players, the Miami Marlins need to at least try to extend him. It’s likely that Chisholm will reject the generally criticized Albies’s contract, but maybe he’ll agree to something in the 7 year/$100 million range?

Jazz Chisholm Jr. doesn’t have much else in the way of competition. There’s Brandon Lowe from the Tampa Bay Rays and his 0.2 WAR and .212/.293/.415 batting line. There’s Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks and his 1.1 WAR and .270/.347/.437 batting line. Marte actually signed an extension of his own: 5 years/$76 million prior to this season. Of Course Marte was 28 at the time of the deal and closer to free agency. Gleyber Torres is a very good second baseman with 1.9 WAR and a .253/.299/.495 batting line, but it’s clear that Chisholm is better.

It’s clear that Jazz Chisholm Jr. is a cornerstone player for the Miami Marlins. It’s important to keep such players long-term, so extending him must be seen as a priority. Kim Ng needs to focus on an extension for him as soon as possible.