Jazz Chisholm Jr. will be looking to get paid handsomely as a free agent, but after he struggled this season, the New York Yankees would be wise to move on.
Other teams may also be hesitant to pay Chisholm after his down year, but the Yankees should not re-sign him unless he's taking a huge discount. Anthony Volpe was a much better hitter after his short demotion, and he could start at second base next year.
It's unclear what his market will look like. Some teams may only be interested in him if he's willing to sign a short, "prove it" style deal. Others could see his 2026 season as an outlier and be interested in a long-term deal. Regardless, he will be making less money than he would if he were a free agent after his 31-homer, 31-steal season in 2025. Here are three potential landing spots for Chisholm.
Atlanta Braves
The Braves have a huge hole at shortstop. Mauricio Dubón stepped up and helped them out this year, but he, too, is a free agent. Even if he returns, the Braves may rather have him in left field. Chisholm can play shortstop and would be a massive upgrade over what the Braves had this year in Ha-Seong Kim, who missed a chunk of the year.
If the Braves don't like Chisholm's defense at shortstop, they can move Ozzie Albies over to shortstop and play Chisholm at second base. The Braves have a roster with plenty of stars and are capable of making a run. However, the need in the middle infield is clear.
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels had the third-worst OPS in baseball from second base this year. Oswaldo Peraza, Adam Frazier, Vaughn Grissom and Christian Moore were not great at second base and Chisholm would certainly be an upgrade.
The only problem is that the Angels may not be interested in committing to him long-term. If Chisholm is willing to sign a one-year deal and join a team where he would certainly play every day, the Angels would be a great fit. Similar to Luis Arraez and the San Francisco Giants, the Angels could trade Chisholm to a contender at the trade deadline if he is having a good season.
New York Mets
After posting a .620 OPS in 139 games, the Mets could look to move on from Marcus Semien. Chisholm has had good seasons in New York, so the Mets don't have to worry about how the market size will affect him. Additionally, the Mets have basically made it a yearly tradition to sign former Yankees.
Even in a down year, Chisholm was better than Semien. He still hit 19 home runs and stole 41 bases. If he can get his average back up, he would likely look like an All-Star again. However, that's a big thing to bank on for any team.