July 27, 2024. Three days before the deadline, the New York Yankees sent three prospects to a Marlins team in full teardown mode and got back Jazz Chisholm Jr. -- an All-Star with electric bat speed, a habit of stealing bases like he was late for something, and, as of that afternoon, a brand new position to learn on the fly. New York had been searching for a real answer at third base for years. They didn't get a third baseman. They got an athlete and figured the rest out later.
The Third Base Problem That Wouldn't Go Away
DJ LeMahieu fouled a ball off his own foot during spring training on March 16, fractured it, and the injury healed slower than anybody wanted. That left Oswaldo Cabrera holding down third base by default to open the season -- and Cabrera had his moments (a strong April, some real flashes with the glove), but nobody in the organization was pretending he was the long-term answer. (When your Opening Day third baseman is a fallback plan, you don't have a plan.)
The Yankees had been dealing with variations of this same problem since Josh Donaldson flamed out. LeMahieu's body kept betraying him. New York needed length in the lineup behind Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, and they needed it from somewhere other than the position they actually had a hole at. Chisholm didn't solve that riddle so much as he made it irrelevant -- take the best available bat, and worry about where he stands afterward.
Why Miami Was Practically Giving Guys Away
The Marlins weren't rebuilding so much as they were dismantling. Miami had already shipped two-time batting champ Luis Arraez to San Diego back in May, eating roughly $8 million of his salary just to make the numbers work. By the July deadline they were fully in liquidation mode: closer Tanner Scott to the Padres, first baseman Josh Bell and lefty A.J. Puk both to Arizona, lefty Trevor Rogers to Baltimore, and Chisholm to the Bronx. The Marlins finished that season 62-100. This wasn't a baseball decision. It was a fire sale with a schedule attached.
Chisholm was actually having a healthy year in Miami -- .249 average, 13 homers, 50 RBI, 22 steals across 101 games in center field and second base, appearing in 87 of the Marlins' first 90 games. No back injury, no hamstring, no oblique strain. Just a talented player on a team that had nothing left to sell for and needed the prospects more than it needed him.
What the Yankees Actually Gave Up
Three players went to Miami: catcher Agustin Ramirez, a legitimate prospect who'd just been bumped from Double-A to Triple-A and ranked second among every catcher in the minors with 20 home runs; infielder Jared Serna, the Yankees' No. 19 prospect at the time; and infielder Abrahan Ramirez, the lesser-known piece of the three. No major leaguers changed hands. Chisholm still had two years of arbitration control left before hitting free agency, which meant this wasn't purely a two-month rental -- it was a bet on 2025 and 2026 too. (Agustin Ramirez made Miami's roster the following year. Say what you want about the return -- the Marlins didn't just cash in for nothing.)
| Trade Date | July 27, 2024 |
| Yankees Receive | Jazz Chisholm Jr. (INF/OF) |
| Marlins Receive | Agustin Ramirez, Jared Serna, Abrahan Ramirez |
| Chisholm 2024 Line (Miami) | .249 AVG, 13 HR, 50 RBI, 22 SB in 101 G |
| Chisholm 2024 Line (Yankees) | .273/.325/.500, 11 HR, 23 RBI, 18 SB in 46 G |
| Chisholm 2024 OPS (NYY) | .825 |
| Contract Control at Trade | 2 years arbitration remaining (through 2026) |
Chisholm made his pinstripes debut on July 28 in center field. A day later, against Philadelphia, the Yankees planted him at third base -- a position he'd never played in the big leagues -- and he went off. Through his first 14 games he slashed a freakin' .316/.361/.702 with 7 home runs, 11 RBI, and 5 steals -- the kind of stretch that makes an entire fan base forget the price of admission. Then, on August 12, he dove headfirst into home against the White Sox, jammed his elbow, and landed on the injured list two days later with a UCL sprain. Surgery got floated. It never happened. He came back for the stretch run instead, and the Yankees needed every bit of him to get where they were going.
It was great... I found out that I was going to go to a contending team -- a team that was in first place, fighting for a playoff spot.
LeMahieu Fractures His Foot
DJ LeMahieu fouls a ball off his right foot in spring training. The injury heals slowly, leaving Oswaldo Cabrera as the default third baseman and exposing a hole the Yankees would spend all summer trying to fix.
Yankees Acquire Chisholm
New York sends catcher Agustin Ramirez and infielders Jared Serna and Abrahan Ramirez to Miami for Chisholm, three days ahead of the trade deadline.
UCL Injury Interrupts a Torrid Start
After hitting .316 with 7 homers in his first 14 games, Chisholm injures his elbow diving headfirst into home against the White Sox and lands on the injured list two days later.
World Series Run
Chisholm returns for the stretch run and helps power the Yankees to their first World Series appearance since 2009, where they fall to the Dodgers in five games.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Yankees trade for Jazz Chisholm Jr.?
July 27, 2024, three days before the MLB trade deadline. The Marlins were in a full sell-off, having already dealt Luis Arraez in May and closer Tanner Scott, Josh Bell, A.J. Puk, and Trevor Rogers that same deadline week.
What did the Yankees give up to get Jazz Chisholm Jr.?
Three prospects: catcher Agustin Ramirez, the Yankees' No. 19 prospect infielder Jared Serna, and infielder Abrahan Ramirez. The deal didn't include a single major leaguer going the other way.
What position did Jazz Chisholm Jr. play before joining the Yankees?
Center field and second base for the Marlins in 2024. He had never played third base in the majors before the Yankees moved him there immediately after the trade.
How did Jazz Chisholm Jr. perform with the Yankees in 2024?
In 46 games after the trade, Chisholm hit .273/.325/.500 with an .825 OPS, 11 home runs, 23 RBI, and 18 stolen bases. He opened his Yankees tenure on a tear -- .316 with 7 homers in his first 14 games -- before a UCL elbow injury in mid-August cost him significant time.
Why were the Marlins trading away Jazz Chisholm Jr. in 2024?
Miami was in a complete rebuild, dumping salary and collecting prospects across the board. The Marlins finished 2024 at 62-100, and Chisholm -- still under team control for two more arbitration years -- was too valuable an asset for a last-place club not to cash in.
Nobody in the Bronx cared that the guy playing third base had never played third base before. That's how badly the Yankees needed a jolt, and that's exactly what Chisholm gave them -- right up until his elbow had other ideas.