The New York Yankees could soon have to fork up a ton of money to retain one of their stars. Jazz Chisholm is set to enter his final year under contract with the club. The reigning Silver Slugger award winner will earn $10.2 million in 2026 before becoming an unrestricted free agent in the fall.
Despite his recent success, New York has been linked with offloading Chisholm throughout the offseason. A move, however, has not materialized as of yet. And a trade before opening day seems even more unlikely now that Bo Bichette is off the board. It certainly seems as if the Yankees were only open to trading Chisholm if a superstar was available.
Now that the infielder is likely to stay in New York, the Yankees could be looking at extending him beyond 2026. CBS Sports reporter Mike Axisa has specifically named Chisholm as one of the top candidates to receive a new contract in the near future. After all, the star would likely be one of the top position players in free agency next year if he does not soon sign an extension.
Axisa believes that Chisholm could look for an exceptional pay raise in his next deal. “I would guess Chisholm and his camp are eyeing Willy Adames’ seven-year, $182 million deal with the Giants,” claimed Axisa. “Adames signed his deal at age 29 and put up 12.7 WAR in the three years prior to free agency. Chisholm is at 10.3 WAR the last three years.”
Jazz Chisholm Loves Playing for the New York Yankees
GettyJazz Chisholm finished third on the Yankees with a 4.2 WAR in 2025.
The Yankees, as Axisa points out, are unlikely to give Chisholm such a massive deal. New York does not exactly give out major extensions very often. The Adames deal with the Giants has also not worked out extremely well so far. Although it has only been one year, the infielder’s statistics were down practically across the board from his stellar 2024 campaign.
Nevertheless, it does not hurt to ask, and because of Chisholm’s impressive numbers, he would not be offending New York by at least starting the conversation there. Instead, the Yankees will likely hope that the infielder is open to taking less money to remain with the club. Chisholm previously proclaimed his love for New York and even told The Athletic that he does “not want to leave New York.”
On the flip side, does New York love Jazz? While the All-Star is regarded as one of the better second basemen in baseball, he comes with some headaches. Off the field, Chisholm has been criticized for his attitude and clubhouse issues. Despite this, numbers do not lie. Chisholm co-led all MLB second basemen with 31 home runs in 2025 and finished inside the top five in OPS, Slugging, and WAR.
Chisholm has Outperformed the Reigning Highest-Paid Second Baseman
Ultimately, Chisholm’s future with the Bronx Bombers will likely come down to money. If the Yankees believe they can get a similar second baseman for less money, they will do it. However, the market could very well be thin, especially at the top, and New York may look to make a deal with their current star.
Newly acquired New York Mets second baseman Marcus Semien was the highest-paid player at his position in 2025. The former Ranger earns an average of $25 million per season. Chisholm probably will not reach this figure in his next deal. Yet, he has put up better offensive numbers than Semien in recent years.
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