Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade grades: Yankees, Marlins both do well in swap involving All-Star outfielder

The New York Yankees and Miami Marlins reportedly became the latest teams to agree to a notable swap on Saturday afternoon in the lead up to Major League Baseball's July 30 trade deadline . The Yankees are obtaining All-Star center fielder/second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Marlins in exchange for three prospects: catcher Agustin Ramírez, infielder Jared Serna , and utility player Abrahan Ramirez.

As is tradition, we here at CBS Sports like to offer instant analysis on each of the biggest deadline trades. That includes rendering a verdict in the form of a letter grade. You can find all of that below, but first, here are the full terms of the reported deal:

• Yankees receive : CF/2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.
• Marlins receive : C Agustin Ramírez, INF Jared Serna, and UTL Abrahan Ramirez

Now, onto the good stuff.

Yankees grade: A

Chisholm is among the most polarizing players in the game for reasons that don't seem entirely up to snuff. His biggest crimes appear to be that he's excitable, stylish, and true to himself. There's a reason he was on the league's video game cover a few years back: he's magnetic in ways that make him stand out from the crowd. He's fun, basically -- and that characteristic isn't and hasn't always been embraced in baseball. To wit, Chisholm has publicly discussed how an old Marlins teammate destroyed cleats that he made himself .

But forget all the sound and the fury -- what does Chisholm bring to the roster? Quite a bit. Bear in mind, he's a 26-year-old capable of playing multiple up-the-middle positions while hitting at a league-average clip. That is, has, and will always be an attractive profile. Chisholm has twice before come close to posting a 20-20 season. The move to Yankee Stadium should help in that pursuit, with Statcast estimating that he would have six additional home runs (giving him 19) if he had played his home games in the Bronx.

You might glance at Chisholm's improved walk and strikeout rates and wonder if he's growing in that respect, too. Maybe a little. He's whiffing less frequently this year than in recent campaigns, but his chase rates do not suggest there's material improvement with his eye. It doesn't matter much: he's always been able to produce anyway.

As for where the Yankees play Chisholm, they can make that call on a day-by-day basis. Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is expected back this week from the injured list, meaning that Aaron Judge will return to the outfield. Chisholm, then, can ping-pong around the diamond, getting action on the grass as well as at second and third base. (Heck, maybe the Yankees even let him see his first action at the six since 2021?)

We do feel obligated to note that Chisholm has had his own share of injury issues. This is the second time in his career he's appeared in more than 100 games, and he has a great chance of setting a new career-high in appearances (currently 124). Even so, we can't blame any Yankees fan who gets a wee bit apprehensive looking at his injury history.

The Yankees did pony up here, moving arguably two of their top 10 prospects. In their minds, they may have viewed Ramírez as redundant given the skill overlap between himself, Austin Wells , and Ben Rice ; same with Serna and some of the other young infielders in the system. ( We even mentioned Serna as a prospect trade candidate for this very reason .) Besides, you have to pay to play, and in this case, the Yankees returned a dynamic player, in their prime, whose very best days could well be ahead of them.

For those reasons, we think the Yankees did well here.

Marlins grade: A

The Marlins were the season's first mover, shipping Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres way back in early May. Nearly three months onward, the Marlins are at it again. With a deep rebuild underway, the Marlins had no use for Jazz (calypso on the other hand …) and spun him off to the Yankees in exchange for three offensive-minded prospects -- the two most mature of which have a chance to play up the middle themselves.

Ramírez, 22, has hit .269/.358/.505 with 20 home runs while splitting the season between Double- and Triple-A. He's an offense-first backstop who packs a real punch in his right-handed swing. Indeed, Ramírez has shown the ability to leave the ballpark to center and right field, in addition to pulling the ball to left. Coincidentally, his max exit velocity in a smallish sample at Triple-A (110 mph) aligns with Chisholm's mark in the majors. Ramírez isn't only a free-swinging slugger: he's reliably kept his strikeout rates under 20%, and his chase rates support the idea that he's willing to take his share of walks.

For as promising as Ramírez is at the plate, his defense behind it remains a work in progress. The Yankees had him play 22 games at first base this season (as compared to 50 at catcher), suggesting they wanted to keep an open mind about his future defensive home. The Marlins can afford to take their time with Ramírez's mitt -- not just because of Miami's lower standards, but also because he has two minor-league options remaining.

Serna, 22, has hit .253/.341/.444 in 88 games at High-A this season. Although he's listed at just 5-foot-6, there's more power here than you might expect. Dating back to the start of last season, he's clobbered 32 home runs (including a few to the opposite field). As with Ramírez, there are outstanding questions about Serna's defense and position. The Yankees have experimented with him all over, but his below-average arm fits best at second. The Marlins will presumably continue to test him at various positions to raise his floor.

The other Ramirez, by the way, is a lefty-swinging teenager in the midst of a good season in the Florida Complex League. New head baseball executive Peter Bendix used to help the Tampa Bay Rays pluck plenty of gems from the low levels of the minors. Bendix can only hope that Ramirez proves to be one of his first real finds on Florida's other coast. If nothing else, expect Bendix to keep trading between now and Tuesday's deadline, with closer Tanner Scott looking like the surest player in the league to be dealt.