4 second base trade options Yankees should pursue after moving Jazz Chisholm to third

The Atlanta Braves' Ozzie Albies could provide the Yankees with a second base solution beyond 2025

At one point in time, Ozzie Albies looked like the Robin to Ronald Acuña Jr.'s Batman in Atlanta for years to come. As recently as 2023, the diminutive Albies, who stands at 5-foot-7, crushed 33 dingers and posted a career-best 125 wRC+ en route to a 4.1 fWAR season.

Unfortunately, injuries have plagued the 28-year-old switch-hitter, and his performance has suffered as a result. Albies managed just 99 games in 2024, posting a .251/.302/.404 slash line with 10 homers and a 95 wRC+.

So far this season, his bat has been even worse, owning a .234/.305/.351 line and hitting just six homers. His 84 wRC+ this year is the lowest mark of his career.

Once a wizard with the glove, Albies is now slightly below average with -2 DRS and -1 OAA in 503 innings at second base this season.

There's been some speculation among those in the know in Atlanta that the Braves could look to move on from Albies at the trade deadline. Albies is in the final year of the extremely team-friendly extension he signed years ago, though two club options remain for 2026 and 2027 at $7 million a piece.

Atlanta has top prospect Nacho Alvarez Jr., looking to make his way back from a wrist injury, who may serve as a potential Albies replacement. Beyond him, though, their farm system is rich in pitchers, but poor in position player talent.

Moving on from Albies may give Atlanta a chance to restock their depth in the minors while not punting on competing entirely. For the Yankees, Albies would represent a buy-low candidate with whom they'd have the ultimate flexibility.

He'd need to only perform like an average player down the stretch to deserve his $7 million option being picked up, and if that were to happen, the Yankees would have another out after 2026 should he falter. The same would be true for 2027.

In his current state, Albies would be a marginal upgrade over the Yankees' clown car of suboptimal options, but if he is able to recapture some of his early career magic, he'd be the best on the list.

The Yankees might get a second chance to make the right call on Gavin Lux

During the offseason, the Cincinnati Reds made a trade the Yankees should have, acquiring infielder and former consensus top-10 prospect Gavin Lux from the Los Angeles Dodgers, alleviating LA's roster crunch in the process.

Lux largely hasn't lived up to his top prospect billing, putting up a .252/.326/.383 line over parts of five seasons in Southern California. However, he also established himself as a versatile defensive chess piece who can do enough with the bat to not be a negative, even if he never became the star that was promised.

So far this year, the 27-year-old is putting together the best offensive season of his career, slashing .292/.383/.404 on the strength of a healthy 12.8% walk rate and some solid contact skills, even if he's lacking in the power department with just one home run.

Defensively, Lux has most commonly played second base in his career, but has also logged time at third, short, and all three outfield positions. In 2025, he's primarily played left field for the Reds, though he has also gotten some work at both second and third.

Those on-base skills would fit nicely at the bottom of the Yankees' lineup, lengthening the unit and providing extra opportunities with runners on once it turns over and the mashers at the top come up again.

Defensively, his versatility would give the Yankees near-endless options in how they could deploy him, helping both in terms of keeping others fresh and filling in in the event of an injury, while also being an upgrade at second base.

The problem is, Lux's value has likely only risen since his offseason trade. While reaching new heights at the plate, Lux is also under team control for 2026, meaning Cincinnati has time to determine how he fits into their future.

Still, Cincinnati is on the verge of falling out of the NL Central race, looking up at the Cubs, Cardinals, and Brewers in the standings. Given the rest of the NL landscape, a Wild Card berth might be more difficult to secure, and the division is the team's best shot at an invitation to the October dance.

With that looking less and less likely with each passing day, the Reds could entertain trading veterans like Lux, but they'd be operating from a position of strength. They acquired Lux for just a Competitive Balance Round A pick and their 14th-ranked prospect, outfielder Mike Sirota, and now would demand a much higher price than the one they paid.

Pursuing Lux now should serve as a lesson the the Yankees as to the importance of preparedness. The club knew they were going into the season light in the infield, opting not to make any significant moves, and found their lack of depth further exposed by the Chisholm Jr. injury and, more importantly, the season-ending Oswaldo Cabrera injury.

Now, they're left to pay premium prices to shore up what might be their most critical need, when in the offseason they could have acquired some of these same players for just pennies on the dollar.

Lux might not even become available this season, but if he does, the Yankees would be wise to kick the tires and not make the same mistake twice.