The Yankees left the MLB Winter Meetings without much noise, but the front office is still weighing a move that could reshape the infield and stir the fanbase. Brian Cashman sounded confident, saying, “We are covered in most areas that you need to be covered,” dismissing the idea of major roster changes. Even so, the Yankees aren’t standing pat, as multiple sources say Jazz Chisholm Jr. could be on the trade block.

The New York Yankees’ roster is quite imbalanced. Apparently, the roster has more left-handed hitters than required. If the Yankees went on to fix that imbalance, it could likely open the door for Chisholm’s trade. In fact, Brian Cashman himself opened up on that possibility.

“He’s somebody who I think is currently part of the solution, someone who’s made us better by getting him two deadlines ago and giving us athleticism. He’s above average. He’s an All-Star second baseman, great defense, steals bags, power, all that stuff. We will be open-minded. But again, my default is that these are all individually good players. We acquired them for a reason.” He said.

In all, the Yankees will be “open-minded” on listening to offers for their $5.85 million second baseman. And Jeff Passan of ESPN also reported that the Yankees have listened to trade proposals on Chisholm Jr.

According to him, a second baseman could be on the move in the coming days.

Currently, in the second baseman market, Ketel Marte, Brendan Donovan, Brandon Lowe, Jake Cronenworth, and Jeff McNeil have drawn significant interest from teams. However, as soon as the possibility of trading Chisholm Jr. came up, Brian Cashman faced instant backlash. Per Yankees fans, no free-agent second baseman can come close to Jazz.

This past season, he earned his second All-Star nod and finished the season with a .242 batting average with 31 home runs and 80 RBIs over 130 games. Despite being a second baseman primarily, Chisholm Jr. has also seen action at third.

The Yankees have faced this situation before. Gleyber Torres regularly appeared in trade talks not because of poor performance, but because roster fit and defensive balance mattered more than individual numbers. With Chisholm under team control through 2026 and the lineup heavily left-handed, the Yankees must again decide whether keeping an All-Star at his preferred spot outweighs the need for overall roster balance.

Chisholm is a valuable asset, and the Yankees will only realistically move him if they see an opportunity to balance their roster.

If not a trade, could sliding Chisholm Jr. over to third base resolve some of the team’s concerns?

The Yankees weren’t able to adequately address their third base situation last offseason. And so, Chisholm Jr. had to man the hot corner for the second straight year when he returned from his oblique injury in early June. We cannot say that his defense is as strong as it is at second, but he’s definitely still capable enough that moving him to third full-time wouldn’t make him a liability for the Yankees.

That could help align the Yankees’ infield. For the second base, there are some interesting options available. The team could either trade for Arizona Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte or pursue Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals, among other options.

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Back in the day, Chisholm Jr. accepted being moved from position to position. It wasn’t his first preference, but he opened up on why he was ready to take over third base. “At the end of the day, I don’t have any right to say what I want. So, they told me, ‘You’re going to play second base for the rest of this year.’ It came around that we didn’t have anyone to play third base, and I was the best option. If that’s what it’s gonna get us to win, I’m gonna do it. If it’s not working, then it’s a different story. But if I could help them win, that’s what I’m about.”

For 2026, if second base is truly where Chisholm Jr. wants to play, it could become a sticking point when he enters the free agency market. Even then, the Yankees should keep a versatile and talented infielder like him, but ultimately, he’ll go where he feels he has the best chance to succeed.