Jazz Chisholm Jr. wanted to become the second player in Major League history to record a 50-50 season.
He stole 41 bases but managed just 19 home runs in his second full season with the New York Yankees.
It appears the Yankees will be moving on from Chisholm this offseason, as the second baseman is now a free agent. New York did not extend him the $23.15 million qualifying offer on Monday evening.
“Extending the qualifying offer (a one-year, $23.15 million deal) would have seemed easy on paper, but it’s unclear how much enthusiasm the Yankees have for Chisholm, and I’m also not sure how much other teams will be pounding the table, as baserunning-and-defensive-heavy WAR totals often don’t get paid in free agency, and on top of that, his xwOBA was a career worst,” ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel wrote.
McDaniel projects Chisholm to sign a two-year, $46 million contract this winter, well short of what the left-handed hitter believes he’s worth.
In February, Chisholm told NJ.com’s Randy Miller that he was looking for $35 million per year for eight to 10 years.
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“What did I tell you last year? $300 million? It’s probably bigger than that now, probably $35 million.” Chisholm told Miller.
Well, the left-handed hitter certainly won’t come anywhere close to that in his career. Chisholm still provides value with power and speed, but the flaws in his game (swing and miss, lack of focus) are hard to miss.
$46 million is way less than what Chisholm is hoping for, but he may have to accept that he lowered his value with his unbalanced performance this season with the Yankees.
