The 2024 MLB trade deadline didn’t exactly bring the same excitement as usual.
While there was a good deal of trade activity in the days leading up to Tuesday’s deadline, no blockbuster trades were made, and most of the league’s top players rumored to be on the trading block ultimately stayed put.
Yet, of all the trades that were made, one insider believes the New York Yankees made the best one.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden asserted in an August 2 article that the Yankees acquiring Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Miami Marlins was the deadline’s best trade.
“Chisholm gives the Yankees much-needed athleticism, speed on the base paths including stolen-base ability, and pull power that will really benefit the 26-year-old at Yankee Stadium,” Bowden wrote. “On the other side of the deal, the Marlins got their long-term future catcher and two other solid prospects. This trade should work out well for both teams.”
Trading for Chisholm has already paid off for the Yankees. Not only did the 26-year-old become the first Yankee ever to hit four home runs in their first three games with the team, but the swagger and looseness he plays with appears to have rubbed off on the entire clubhouse.
Not to mention that Chisholm’s willingness to play third base (a position he had never played in professional baseball before arriving to New York) has been a breath of fresh air for a team that’s 5-0 since bringing him on board.
The Yankees gave up catcher Agustin Ramirez, infielder Jared Serna, and infielder/outfielder Abrahan Ramirez in return for Chisholm. While this is a very solid crop of prospects (Bowden deemed Ramirez the ‘Best Prospect Traded’), Austin Wells has been one of baseball’s best defensive backstops this season while more or less meeting offensive expectations.
New York wants to win right now. Acquiring Chisholm (who can become a free agent after the 2026 World Series) will help them do so.
