After the 2025 season, extending Jazz Chisholm Jr. looked like a no-brainer.
After his 31-homer, 31-steal season, he went into a contract year with a chance to really get himself paid. However, he struggled and had one of the worst years of his career, and certainly his worst season as a Yankee. Chisholm will be looking for a big payday, but the Yankees should have reservations about paying him.
He has a high ceiling, and in the final month of the regular season, he looked more like the 2025 version of himself before his thumb sprain. However, the inconsistency is alarming, and the Yankees should explore replacements. The Yankees have other needs to spend on and could save some money by signing someone else instead of Chisholm.
The upcoming free agent class is not really strong, but there is one clear candidate to replace Chisholm: Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Luis Arraez.
Arraez's big knock has always been defense, but this year he was stellar at second base. He ranked in the 97th percentile for outs above average, and everyone already knows what he can do with the bat. He hit .310 this year and his OPS was .765, his best mark since his .861 OPS in 2023.
Arraez is not a power bat, but the Yankees already have those. Aaron Judge, Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger can all hit for power, and there's some pop in Spencer Jones' bat as well. However, the Yankees lack guys who can get on base at a high clip in front of their thumpers. Arraez has won three batting titles, does not whiff and rarely strikes out.
He is nowhere near the athlete Chisholm is, but he has turned himself into a very good defender and gets on base a ton. The Yankees need to improve in those two areas, and Arraez should cost less than Chisholm despite his great season.