Ranking Yankees 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s Top 5 Landing Spots in MLB Free Agency

When the New York Yankees were preparing for their 2026 season, Jazz Chisholm Jr. set some big goals for himself.

He hoped to join Shohei Ohtani in MLB's 50-50 club. And then, he hoped to secure a free-agent contract worth $35 million per year over eight to 10 years.

So much for that. Chisholm had a disappointing year, going off for "only" 19 home runs and 41 stolen bases with a modest .711 OPS and 1.7 rWAR. The second baseman didn't have a particularly good postseason, with the Yankees' run ending in a three-game sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.

As for Chisholm's prospects in free agency, Jon Heyman of the New York Post raised the question of whether the 28-year-old even deserves a $23.1 million qualifying offer from the Yankees. If that's the situation, his best play might be to make like Marcus Semien in 2021 and seek a one-year "prove it" deal for 2027.

With this in mind, let's identify five potential suitors for Chisholm and dive into why they make sense as landing spots for the two-time All-Star.

To be clear, the Reds are probably only going to be a match for Chisholm if he indeed decides to seek a one-year deal.

Any more than that, and their history in free agency suggests they'd sit this one out. They rank 26th out of 30 teams in free-agent spending since 1991, with a max of just $64 million for Nick Castellanos and Mike Moustakas.

On paper, though, this is about as clean as fits get. The Reds got an MLB-low -0.7 rWAR from the keystone this season, as well as a 90 wRC+ from the left side of the plate that tied for the second-worst mark in the league. Chisholm could help them address both issues with one signing.

Besides, this organization badly needs to throw its fanbase a bone after the year it just had. Pairing Chisholm with Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart and letting the three cook at Great American Ball Park for at least one year would do nicely.

Under Arte Moreno, the Angels have occasionally come out of the woodwork with a Brinks truck for a star free agent.

Well, now they have a new—and potentially much better—owner coming aboard. The sale of the franchise to Stan Kroenke still needs approval, but it is expected to become official sometime in the first quarter of 2027 .

That could give the Angels time to make a run at Chisholm if he's still available. He might not be if he sets his sights on a one-year deal early in the winter. But if he insists on holding out for a multi-year offer, L.A. could be a late-arriving hope.

What's for sure is that they need an influx of star talent after losing 100 games for the first time in their history this season. They specifically need it at a second base spot which produced only 0.4 rWAR, and having Chisholm and Zach Neto as a double play combination would surely help reinvigorate a jaded fanbase.

Sticking in Southern California, the Padres are a step ahead of the Angels as far as ownership changes go. Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano officially took control in August.

Though they've already been able to celebrate their first playoff run, they'll soon experience what seems like an annual rite of passage in San Diego: a roster in need of considerable refurbishing.

Starting pitching will need to be a priority, but another bat should also be a must. The Padres specifically need more left-handed thump after getting just a .385 SLG from that side of the plate. They could also use more offensive production at second base, where Jake Cronenworth struggled in 2026.

Also, does anyone else get the sense that San Diego would be a good spot for Chisholm's energy? He plays with a chip on his shoulder, and that's been the Padres' whole vibe as they have fought the Los Angeles Dodgers for control of the NL West throughout the 2020s.

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The Tigers got two pretty solid seasons out of Gleyber Torres at second base, including an All-Star campaign in 2025. Like Chisholm, though, he's about to be a free agent.

For the Tigers, swapping out Torres for Chisholm at second base would be a play for greater upside. Torres is sneaky-good at getting on base, but with little in the way of power or speed. Chisholm was a 30-30 guy just last year. He's also a plus defender despite his occasional lapses in judgment .

Chisholm's speed is especially needed in Detroit after the Tigers stole only 58 bases this year. That's just 17 more than Chisholm had on his own, and it amounts to refusing to play a game that a team really should be playing in this day and age.

The Tigers could use Chisholm's energy, too. Even if they had bigger problems this year, his outgoing personality would bring a different dynamic to the roster. Signing Chisholm to be part of a double-play combo with Kevin McGonigle would be a step in the right direction.

Ernie Clement was the AL's leading vote-getter for the All-Star Game this year. Would the Blue Jays really bump him off second base for Chisholm?

Well, yeah. Or at least, they should. Clement can play everywhere, after all, and Toronto's offense needs upside that he simply can't provide. Somehow, the Blue Jays finished last in the league in scoring this season.

It's going to take a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. rebound and multiple new faces for the Blue Jays' offense to recover in 2027. To the latter end, Chisholm is one of the best free agents they'll be able to get this winter. After hitting just 152 homers (30th in MLB) and stealing 75 bases (27th in MLB), they badly need his power and speed.

Given the chip on his shoulder, it also wouldn't be the worst thing if Chisholm had 13 chances every year to take it to the Yankees. Even if we can agree he deserved to become a platoon player this year, he clearly didn't appreciate it .

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference , FanGraphs and Baseball Savant .