4 contenders that should trade for Jazz Chisholm for playoff push

After making the postseason last season, the Miami Marlins headed into 2024 looking to build off their surprisingly successful 2023. Yet, almost the opposite has happened. With a 9-24 record to start the season, Miami quickly threw in the towel.

On May 4, the Marlins sent reigning NL batting champ Luis Arraez and cash considerations to the San Diego Padres for four prospects. It was a rare trade executed in early May, thus making it very telling of how the Marlins view themselves in the short term. 

With no hope of contending in 2024 or seemingly at any point in the short term with their slew of pitching injuries, the Marlins look well on their way toward another rebuild. As a result, Jazz Chisholm Jr. will be one of the hottest names in trade talks as the trade deadline approaches.

Here are four contenders that should trade for Chisholm to make a deep October run:

Boston Red Sox

In a competitive American League — especially within their division — the Red Sox have held their own thus far. Despite significant injuries, Boston sits 19-18 — 2.5 games of a Wild Card spot.

But for the Red Sox to make a postseason push, they need to add some more juice to their lineup. Triston Casas is expected to miss most of the season, Trevor Story is out for the season and Boston has no idea what happened to Masataka Yoshida’s hand. 

With three players widely expected to lift Boston’s offense out for at minimum the foreseeable future, now is a great time to add a player of Chisholm’s caliber. The Red Sox’s outfield is relatively unscathed with those injuries, but adding Chisholm greatly lengthens the team’s lineup. 

Right now, Garrett Cooper — who has a 78 wRC+ — is penciled in as its designated hitter. Adding Chisholm could make the DH spot a rotation between outfielders Tyler O’Neill, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu and Rob Refsnyder.

Additionally, Chisholm could also slide back into the middle infield — where he began his career. After Story’s injury, Ceddanne Rafaela has become Boston’s everyday shortstop while Vaughn Grissom is its everyday second baseman after recently returning from an injury. Yet, the two have combined for -0.7 fWAR thus far. 

Adding Chisholm would greatly improve the Red Sox’s depth and put them on a much better track toward returning to the postseason.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Over the last few years, the Dodgers and Padres have been in an arms race making trades. The climax of this is when the Padres reportedly traded for Max Scherzer at the 2021 trade deadline all for the Dodgers to wind up with the prized right-hander. 

Now that the Padres traded for Arraez, what better response would it be from the Dodgers to trade for Arraez’s former teammate? 

Though James Outman was one of the best rookies in baseball last season, he has struggled in a small sample thus far. While Outman should turn it around and is a superior defender, Chisholm gives the Dodgers a great insurance policy. 

While Chisholm has exclusively played centerfield over the last two seasons, returning to second base with Los Angeles would make the most sense. Coming off a torn ACL, Gavin Lux has struggled immensely. Heading into Spring Training, he was expected to play shortstop before the yips changed that plan — leading Mookie Betts to man the position.

Chisholm gives the Dodgers a significant upgrade at second base and helps maximize his value. Across two seasons playing center field, he has accumulated -14 DRS and 3 OAA. Meanwhile, Chisholm’s 7 DRS and 8 OAA at second base throughout his career are his best marks at a position he’s played in the majors.

The Dodgers have the best team wRC+ (133) in MLB and adding Chisholm makes them even better.

Kansas City Royals

One of the biggest surprises early this season has been the Royals. Off to a 22-16 start, Kansas City holds the final wildcard spot and is only 2.5 games back of the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians. 

Because of their early season success, the Royals were reportedly among the teams that inquired about Arraez before the Marlins traded him to San Diego. With a budding young core surrounding Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia, Chisholm would be a perfect long and short-term addition, as he’s under contract through the conclusion of the 2026 season.

Outside of their young trio and team captain Salvador Perez, the Royals’ lineup has greatly struggled in 2024 — especially their outfield. MJ Melendez, Kyle Isbel and Hunter Renfroe have combined for -0.5 fWAR thus far while utility player Adam Frazier has tacked on another -0.4 fWAR.

While Isbel is among the best defensive center fielders in MLB, Chisholm’s far superior bat is more valuable. If the Royals opt to keep Isbel as their everyday center fielder, sliding Chisholm to right field could possibly be in the cards — a move that worked well for former infielder turned outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr.

Michael Massey looks the best he has at second base after a disappointing first two big league seasons, but Chisholm could take over at second base If he fails to build off his solid start to 2024. 

By adding a player of Chisholm’s caliber, Kansas City positions itself far better to break its nearly decade-long postseason drought, whether this season or soon.

Texas Rangers

Coming off their first World Series title, the Rangers sit at the top of the AL West standings thus far. Despite Corey Seager’s early-season struggles, Texas has an elite 1-through-5 at the top of its lineup, while the re-additions of Josh Jung and Wyatt Langford will only improve its lineup when they return from their injuries.

While there isn’t a definitive need for Chisholm on the Rangers, it’s a situation that reminds me of the Padres trading for Arraez. With Jake Cronenworth, Xander Bogaerts, Ha-Seong Kim and a healthy Manny Machado manning the infield, there wasn’t a fit for Arraez. Still, the Padres needed to add another bat so they felt comfortable adding Arraez as a DH. I think the Rangers are in a position to make a similar move. 

Assuming all of their regulars are starting in the field, the DH spot likely goes to Travis Jankowski (96 wRC+), Robbie Grossman (76 wRC+) or Ezequiel Duran (82 wRC+). When Langford returns to full health, it likely becomes him or Evan Carter, but Chisholm still provides value in that scenario.

While Leody Taveras is likely a better option than Chisholm in centerfield, Chisholm’s offensive ceiling is far higher than Taveras’. Additionally, if Langford’s struggles continue or another injury occurs — whether that’s in the outfield or middle infield — Chisholm’s versatility could be extremely valuable.

Adding Chisholm isn’t something the Rangers need to do to repeat as World Series champions, but his addition makes the rich richer.