Yankees face tricky decision after $100 million Jazz Chisholm Jr. update

Jazz Chisholm Jr. is one of the toughest players to evaluate in Major League Baseball.

On one hand, Chisholm is one of the most electrifying players in the game to watch, and his numbers have generally been quite good. He's hit 84 home runs and stolen 105 bases in his first 479 career games, and nearly pulled off a 25-40 season last year.

On the other hand, Chisholm has only one fully healthy season under his belt, having played 147 games last year. And before he hit the injured list with three tears in his oblique, he was batting just .181 on the season, albeit with seven home runs.

The Yankees traded for Chisholm last July with two-and-a-half years left on his contract. It will be several weeks before they see him play again, but from here on out, every game he appears in is an audition of sorts.

On Tuesday, ESPN's Jeff Passan named Chisholm as a "contender" to get a $100 million contract when he hits free agency, though he stopped short of projecting him to hit that number. That's going to be a very interesting decision for the Yankees to make.

Chisholm's explosiveness, positional versatility, and star qualities all work in his favor. He seems to relish playing in New York, and most Yankees fans have embraced him to this point. But availability and consistency are crucial in MLB, and Chisholm's never truly proven himself adept at either.

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To introduce one more variable to the situation, 2027 will likely be Yankees number-one prospect George Lombard Jr.'s first full season in the majors. Lombard is a shortstop, but the Yankees can't play him and Anthony Volpe there at the same time, so one could theoretically move to second and take over for Chisholm.

So when free agency rolls around, what will the Yankees realistically be willing to pay Chisholm? If another team is willing to throw that nine-figure price tag at him, is there any chance New York matches it?

It's certainly an intriguing subplot to follow from now until the end of 2026.

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