Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm trade could help team stave off yet another ‘disaster’

Brian Cashman called last year’s Yankees a “disaster,” so if this season continues on the path of the past month-plus, the general manager is going to have to find a thesaurus — and a word even bigger than disaster. 

Because the stakes are so much more mammoth. The largest payroll in franchise history. The acquisition Juan Soto for his only certain season in pinstripes. Yet, another year of the primes of Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge. And, of course, last year’s “disaster” in the recent past, which from the owner on down was sold as a one-off that would be course corrected immediately. 

How exactly does this administration, including Aaron Boone, survive if it is in the midst of giving us “Disaster 2: The Much Bigger Sequel.” The Yankees, after an MLB-best 50-22 opening, followed with a 10-23 six weeks and counting. They still were just two games out of first going into Saturday and led the wild-card standings, but were just 3 ¹/₂ games from being out of a playoff berth. 

So this might just be Cashman’s most vital trade deadline of his career and he began it with undertones of the offseason by obtaining another highly talented player that comes with lots of questions in Jazz Chisholm. 

On paper, Chisholm fits obvious Yankee needs in that he is young and explosive on a team that too often runs the bases like limping turtles. He has 22 steals on the season and eight in July — or as many as the Yankees have as a team since June 13. He is a lefty hitter with 13 homers, and when he is right the ball really comes off his bat and so his power might play up at Yankee Stadium. Chisholm can play second and center, but he has a strong personality and there are times in which his style outdoes his substance. 

He will join Trent Grisham, Marcus Stroman and Alex Verdugo, who all came to New York last offseason with various questions ranging from effort to temperament — in the aftermath of the Yankees living the Josh Donaldson experience. Executives who know Chisholm say his play is inconsistent — high highs and low lows — and he needed constant oversight with the Marlins, but also said a New York-intensified pennant race and veteran teammates might help. However, Chisholm publicly warred with his most veteran Marlin teammate, Miguel Rojas, about his leadership style, after the infielder had left. 

Clearly, in this hour of need, the Yankees are either completely honoring what players look like on graph paper and/or deciding all that matters is the talent. And they can’t be done. Word around the industry is that the Yankees are aggressively shopping and the ideal deadline would be at least two bats (one down) and two bullpen arms. Perhaps the addition of Chisholm allows them to use Grisham or Gleyber Torres to find a relief arm. 

The Marlin who seemed the most obvious fit for the Yankees was not Chisholm. It was Tanner Scott. 

Scott comes with risk. He has only played in small baseball markets (Baltimore/Miami) for dreadful clubs except for last year’s 84-78 Marlins (Scott threw one shutout postseason inning). Plus, in bad times, he is walk prone. So the potential for unnerving culture shock and tons of walks is there for a player so desired in the market that the price will be high, though Scott is a free agent after the season. 

But this Yankee pen is dying for a late-inning lefty who can miss bats. Scott had a 29.1 strikeout rate, but also a 14.8 percent walk rate (sixth highest among relievers with 30 innings). However, Scott had allowed runs in just one of his last 31 appearances (0.55 ERA) and in that time his K rate climbed to 33.9 percent and walk rate dropped to 11.6 percent — and it was 35.2 and 9.9 in his last 24 outings. 

So if Chisholm represents the lone Marlins deal, then the Yankees have to uncover pen arms elsewhere. They have to find another arm they trust to pitch late and minimize the struggling Clay Holmes. Perhaps they will get some internal help when Ian Hamilton returns, and potentially Scott Effross or Lou Trivino. I heard the Yanks inquired on Detroit’s Jack Flaherty and perhaps were dabbling in the starter market. Could they add one and put Luis Gil’s big arm in the pen to slow his innings? That feels risky when Gil might be their best starter again and he can always be moved in September if/when Clarke Schmidt returns. 

As for a bat, if they were to move Torres and put Chisholm at second, they could still try to add via third base with someone like the Angels’ Luis Rengifo, the Giants’ Matt Chapman or the Rays’ Isaac Paredes. 

Clearly, despite the extreme downturn in the last six weeks, the Yankees are going for it. In Chisholm, they made a move that could bring power, speed and disruption. You know? All That Jazz.