Why Dodgers, Padres must consider Jazz Chisholm Jr. free agency pursuit

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Why Dodgers, Padres must consider Jazz Chisholm Jr. free agency pursuit

Jedd Pagaduan, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Wed, November 4, 2026 at 5:18 AM UTC ·

4 min read

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It's safe to say that Jazz Chisholm Jr. didn't have the season he envisioned he would have, especially when he's now headed to free agency. His numbers across the board for the New York Yankees were down last season, and this downturn in performance could not have come at a worse time.

And it looks like the Yankees are preparing to bid Chisholm farewell. They did not tender a qualifying offer worth $23.15 million to the 28-year-old infielder, which, at the very least, signals that they aren't willing to bring him back at that price point. However, despite Chisholm's decline in performance last season, one would think that there are some teams that will look to buy low on him.

For example, those at Talking Baseball have floated four possible landing spots for Chisholm: the Los Angeles Dodgers , San Diego Padres , Houston Astros, and New York Mets. Those teams could choose to overlook the steep decline in his offensive production (he fell from an .813 OPS and 31 home runs in 2025 to just .711 OPS and 19 long balls in 2026) and see that Chisholm still put up 3.5 fWAR on the back of his strong defensive and baserunning metrics.

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Chisholm stole 41 bases last season, a career-high for a single season, and he measured well in defensive range, according to advanced metrics such as Statcast's Outs Above Average and Fielding Run Value.

Some are projecting Chisholm to sign a contract worth around $90-110 million over three to four seasons, which could make him well worth it at that price point. And here's why the Dodgers and Padres would benefit immensely from signing the electric, if inconsistent, middle infielder.

Dodgers bring in another lefty bat with speed, bolster their defense

If there's a team that's already boasting an embarrassment of riches and doesn't exactly need Chisholm's services, it's the Dodgers. They already have Tommy Edman anyway to cover that position, and he's locked under a long-term contract (he has four years left on his contract worth around $47.5 million).

The Dodgers also have a ton of lefties in the lineup, and it might not be the best idea to get another same-sided hitter. For instance, the Dodgers' primary starters across four positions are left-handed hitters, and their top prospect waiting in the wings (Josue de Paula) is yet another lefty.

At this point, the Dodgers might be better off conserving their resources for a right-handed bat to help replace Teoscar Hernandez's declining power production .

But this veteran team needs more youth, speed, and range, and Chisholm has that in spades. He's going to be a huge upgrade over Edman; even in a down offensive year, Chisholm's contributions across the board made him quite the valuable player (based off fWAR), particularly when compared to Edman's 1.3 fWAR in 84 games. In fact, his 3.5 fWAR in 2026 would have had him ranked fifth among the team's position players last season.

Add in the fact that 2026 was Chisholm's worst power year since his brief rookie campaign in 2020, then there is room for some positive regression that could bring him back up to a 4 fWAR level for at least the first few seasons of his contract.

Padres get huge upgrade at 2B if they sign Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Second baseman Jake Cronenworth has been a solid servant of the Padres ballclub ever since he broke through into the big leagues in 2026. And for better or for worse, Cronenworth appears to be there to stay. He has four more seasons left on his contract at $12.3 million per season, and considering his poor 2026 campaign, there might not be too many suitors, if any at all, for him on the trade market .

However, the downfall in his offensive production has been steep. He put up an OPS of .629 last season, and he was near replacement level, putting up a 0.2 fWAR in 109 games.

It goes without saying that Chisholm is going to be a major upgrade over Cronenworth, who will be turning 33 years old prior to the start of next season.

Chisholm's combination of positive regression potential on offense, solid defense and baserunning, as well as the electricity he plays the game with makes him quite an exciting potential addition for this Padres team — and a huge upgrade over their incumbent second baseman.

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