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

For some reason, it seems that the New York Yankees are hell bent on moving the soon-to-be returning Jazz Chisholm Jr. to third base. Chisholm Jr., a natural second baseman, learned the hot corner on the fly last season after former Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres refused to move off the keystone following the acquisition of Chisholm Jr. at the trade deadline.

The move is a head-scratcher for sure, as Chisholm Jr. has been a well-above-average defender at second this season, with three defensive runs saved and three outs above average while working just 251 innings at the position due to injury.

Whatever the case may be, the Yankees cannot let the trade deadline pass without acquiring another infielder. DJ LeMahieu, Oswald Peraza, and Pablo Reyes simply won't cut it. And while it would be nice to acquire a player with positional flexibility, in the event that the Yankees realize the error of their ways regarding Jazz, it seems likely that the second base market will be their best shot for an upgrade.

Unfortunately, at this point in time, that market seems particularly robust. At this point in the season, several teams still fancy themselves contenders, although the herd will thin as the summer approaches.

As it stands now, these four players are likely the best of the bunch that the Yankees realistically have a chance to acquire. While none are superstars, all would give the club the chance to solidify second base. which is sorely needed.

Tampa Bay Rays' Brandon Lowe would be the Yankees' best trade option, despite some hurdles

The Rays are always a hard team to pin down. The club may not be a perennial powerhouse like the Yankees or Dodgers, but they almost always find themselves in the thick of the race, despite operating on a shoestring budget.

That budget is exactly why a guy like Brandon Lowe could hit the trade market. Lowe was a much-rumored trade piece over the offseason, though unlike pitcher Jeffrey Springs, whom the Rays decided to move while making a similar salary, the club decided to hold on to Lowe ... for now.

To an extent, that makes sense. Lowe, a power-hitting second baseman with average-ish defensive ability, had been bitten by the injury bug in recent seasons, playing just 65, 109, and 107 games between 2022 and 2024, respectively. The Rays clearly could receive a bigger return if they held on and he proved he could stay healthy. So far, Lowe has played in all but five games for Tampa.

With a .246/.300/.438 line, 112 wRC+ and 11 homers through the end of May, Lowe seems like a slight bargain, given his $10.5 million salary and a nearly as reasonable $11.5 million club option for next season. However, he is the highest-paid Ray in 2025, seemingly giving them renewed motivation to make a deal as long as he continues to stay healthy.

Here's where things get complicated, though. The Rays probably still fancy themselves as contenders sitting a 30-29, tucked just behind the red hot Blue Jays in the AL East and still in prime position in a wide-open American League. With that said, it isn't unheard of for the Rays to sell off expensive veterans at the deadline while still trying to compete. In Lowe's case, the club also has some younger, cheaper replacements that are ready to go.

The bigger issue is whether or not they'd be willing to deal with the Yankees, whom they are chasing for the division crown. Furthermore, if they are, would the Yankees be willing to meet their price?

There are some other fit issues for Lowe with the Yankees. First, he'd be another lefty bat joining an already lefty-heavy lineup that features regulars Austin Wells and Cody Bellinger, as well as key contributors like Trent Grisham and Ben Rice. Furthermore, he's pretty much a second baseman only, with some very limited experience at first and in the outfield, giving the Yankees no off-ramp for their Jazz-to-third decision.

Lastly, Lowe is a bit strikeout-prone with a 27.2% career K-rate. Loading up on high-strikeout sluggers has been something that's bitten the Yankees in the past, and they may prefer a more contact-oriented option now.

Still, offensively, Lowe is likely the best option that may become available, and given the offensive ineptitude of the Bombers' internal options at second, Lowe still stands as the most enticing.

The Yankees could snag Luis Urías as the Athletics plummet in the standings

The young Athletics began the season surprisingly well, as their young bats came alive and started pounding the ball out of the minor league park they call home. However, pitching was always a question for the club, and a 1-9 record over their last 10 games to close out May has them looking firmly out of the race, sitting at 23-36.

The A's did what the Yankees probably should have done in the offseason, signingLuis Urías to a one-year, $1.1 million contract following his non-tender by the Seattle Mariners. The soon-to-be-28-year-old had spent the last two seasons as a seldom-used utility infielder, but prior to that, he had shown some promise as a young player with the Milwaukee Brewers.

In 2021, he socked 23 homers while batting .249/.345/.445 in 150 games for the Brew Crew. He followed that up with 16 homers and a .239/.335/.404 performance over 119 games in 2022.

After two years with sub-.200 averages where he played just 52 and 41 games, respectively, Urías seems back to his old form with a .244/.333/.407 line and six homers in 45 games.

With ample experience at both second and third, Urías would give the Yankees the option to flip-flop positions between he and Chisholm Jr., should the need arise. Though it should be noted that throughout his career, Urías has been a slightly below-average glove at both positions, and has posted -1 DRS and -2 OAA in his time at second base in 2025.

Urías doesn't have a long-term future with the A's, and his lack of recent track record should bring down the cost of a potential trade package. As a one-year rental making so little money, the financial cost of adding him to the roster would be negligible as well, something that should certainly make Hal Steinbrenner smile.

There's some risk with Urías, though. He went from striking out 31.2% of the time last season to cutting his K-rate in more than half this season, with the low mark of 15.1%. For his career, strikeouts have neither been a huge issue nor a huge positive in his game, with a roughly average 21.6% rate.

More concerning is whether or not he can keep this pace up. Leaving Seattle's unfriendly confines certainly helped, but the ballpark in Sacramento is known to inflate offensive performance as well. Given that it's been a few years since he was a consistent contributor, it's questionable how much of his production this year is just small sample size noise.

Still, he'd be a low-cost roll of the dice that would give the Yanks the positional flexibility to find the best possible alignment, which makes him an intriguing option.

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.