The Seattle Mariners are an attractive free agency fit for New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., according to a Bleacher Report prediction published Friday.
Erik Beaston of Bleacher Report wrote that Chisholm will play in the divisional round for the Yankees, but that it is very possible he will not be with the club next season.
Beaston called Seattle a team that could use the “flashy player” after the Mariners struggled to produce consistent offense in 2026. The 28-year-old delivered 109 hits, 19 home runs and 55 RBIs this season, helping the Yankees’ offense while Aaron Judge missed a large portion of the year.
Beaston wrote that Chisholm has “all of the natural talent in the world to produce at the plate and defensively,” making him one of the more intriguing free agents on the market.
There is reason the Yankees would want him back. Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reported, however, that it is “common knowledge” the team will not attempt to retain him this offseason.
That opening is where Seattle enters the conversation. The Mariners are expected to lose left fielder Randy Arozarena, their best offensive player in 2026, once the World Series ends.
Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reported that it has long been assumed this would be Arozarena’s last season in Seattle and that he plans to test the market.
Arozarena hit .281 with 26 home runs, 79 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. Jerry Dipoto, the Mariners’ president of baseball operations, said the club needs to “refill those voids, and they’re not small voids to refill, especially Randy in left field.”
Beaston’s prediction is that Chisholm signs with a contender, “with Seattle being an attractive situation.” The Mariners’ offensive inconsistency is the stated reason.
A second baseman who can hit, run and play an up-the-middle position would address a lineup that leaned heavily on Arozarena and still fell short of last year’s run to the American League Championship Series.
Detroit is the other club Beaston named. He wrote that the Tigers could also use Chisholm, while questioning whether the infielder and manager A.J. Hinch “would see eye to eye based on their clear personality differences.”
Seattle’s own offseason board already includes Chisholm as a high-end infield target, though Sports Illustrated described such a signing as unlikely until payroll flexibility is clearer. Chairman John Stanton has cited attendance and Mariners TV subscribers without setting a concrete 2027 payroll number.
Other outlets have pointed elsewhere. CBS Sports listed the San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers as possible landing spots and did not include the Yankees.
Mike Axisa wrote that Chisholm’s baserunning and defense at an up-the-middle position give him a high floor even in a down offensive year. Chisholm is still in the postseason with New York. The market conversation, according to Beaston, has already moved toward clubs that need a bat, with the Mariners near the front of that list if the Yankees follow through on the plan Dunleavy described as common knowledge.
