Speculation around the Seattle Mariners ahead of the MLB trade deadline has shifted focus to Jazz Chisholm Jr.
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In MLB insider Bob Nightengale’s weekly USA Today column, he linked the Miami Marlins outfielder to the Mariners, just weeks before the July 30 deadline.
“The Miami Marlins have been hoping they could trade center fielder Jazz Chisholm all season, with the Seattle Mariners emerging as the favorites to land him,” wrote Nightengale.
To gauge the credibility of this rumor, Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy spoke on Monday with Craig Mish, senior baseball contributor for the Miami Herald and MLB Network.
Mish confirmed the Mariners’ interest in Chisholm but noted there’s still ample time before the Marlins need to decide on his future.
“The Mariners definitely have some interest in Jazz,” Mish said, “but to say, at least in my opinion, that it’s like a guarantee, I think that goes too far for me just based on my intel. I think that several teams will be interested in him.”
Is Jazz to the Mariners a trade fit?
The 26-year-old Chisholm, a one-time All-Star, is intriguing. An All-Star in 2022, he posted an .860 OPS but was limited to 60 games due to injuries. This year, he’s slashing .249/.321/.407 in 93 games, with a .727 OPS, 12 home runs, and 18 stolen bases, similar to his 2023 numbers with slight differences in slugging and on-base percentages.
Mish believes Chisholm, who transitioned from second base to center field in 2023, would fit well with the Mariners, who need help in a struggling lineup.
“It definitely fills a need for the Mariners, and you could check some boxes there with his ability to play the outfield, his ability to play the infield,” Mish said. “And in my opinion, the Mariners are one team that should not be sitting pat at the deadline. The fans really deserve a run here, I think, from that organization. It’s been a while since they’ve gone deep into the playoffs, and the pitching is just too good to sit back.
“They do match up well. There are some (Mariners) prospects I think that would fit Miami, and I think Jazz would fit in well in Seattle, and I do think that there’s certainly some legs to this. The deadline is a couple of weeks away, but two weeks away is like an eternity in the deadline in baseball.”
The concerns
Chisholm’s name is polarizing, especially after being voted most overrated in a recent MLB players’ survey by The Athletic. This comes a year after he appeared on the cover of “MLB The Show.”
Mish challenged that perception of Chisholm.
“I can understand that because he was on the cover of ‘MLB The Show’ and, you know, he’s a flashy player. But I would say that any sense of being overrated may be in the past… just cause he’s had a hard time staying on the field before, but he has played virtually every game the Marlins have played in this year,” Mish said. “And he’s played the right way this year, too. I think he’s grown up quite a bit over the last year or two. I just don’t buy that, I guess is what I’m saying. I mean, he probably has a few players in the league that are his enemy or jealous. I personally think he’s a very good player. Is he a fantastic All-Star, perennial MVP type? No, he has not proven that yet.”
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