Jazz Chisholm Jr. at third base might be the Yankees' only infield solution

How the New York Yankees solve all of their needs will require some creativity, one way or another. Whether that creativity is due to budgetary restrictions or a dearth of quality options on the market, Brian Cashman will need to think outside the box this winter.

Third base is one of those situations. After arriving in New York, Ryan McMahon proved that, despite his exceptional glove work, he's a liability with the bat. That's led to rumblings that the Yankees will seek a platoon partner for the lefty swinger.

The problem there is that the options are slim. Only Amed Rosario truly fits the bill, and even that feels like a low-ceiling solution.

The fact of the matter is, even if the Yankees are willing to spend money, the third base market is light. Only Alex Bregman and, to a lesser extent, Eugenio Suarez exist as premium options at the hot corner. Both of them come with their own sets of concerns.

However, the options at second base are more robust, leading to the uncomfortable reality that the Yankees might have to face  — they might need to move Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to third base.

Moving Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to third base might be the Yankees' best solution to solve the infield dilemma

The Yankees' failure to adequately address the hot corner last offseason forced Chisholm Jr. over there for the second year in a row once he returned from his oblique injury in early June. While his defense wasn't as good as it is at second, he could still be decent enough not to be a liability if moved to third base full-time.

And that might be what it takes to get the best infield alignment. There are several intriguing options that can handle second base, ranging from a trade for Arizona Diamondbacks superstar Ketel Marte to signing Bo Bichette away from the rival Toronto Blue Jays to potentially swinging a deal for Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals.

If the Yankees can land one of those options and pull off a salary-dump trade (eating some money if they have to) with McMahon, they'll be stronger overall than if they leave Chisholm Jr. at second and find a platoon bat for McMahon.

That might have an unintended consequence, however. Chisholm Jr. has been cast as the good soldier for his acceptance of being flip-flopped between positions, but he was also vocal in his support for Rafael Devers when the slugger was embroiled in a feud with the Boston Red Sox over their insistence that he move to first base following Triston Casas' injury.

At that time, Chisholm Jr. noted the difference between his situation and Devers, telling Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, “I’m in arbitration. I don’t have a contract. I could be gone in two years. I could be gone at the trade deadline."

He went on to add, "At the end of the day, I don’t have any right to say what I want. So, they told me, ‘You’re going to play second base for the rest of this year.’ It came around that we didn’t have anyone to play third base, and I was the best option. If that’s what it’s gonna get us to win, I’m gonna do it. If it’s not working, then it’s a different story. But if I could help them win, that’s what I’m about.”

For 2026, Chisholm Jr. would likely be the selfless teammate and move across the diamond again, but what happens after that? If playing second is truly his preference, it could cause an issue at the end of next season when he's up for free agency. Keeping the dynamic infielder in the Bronx should be a priority, but ultimately, he's going to go where he feels best positioned to succeed.

How much of that revolves around the position he plays remains to be seen, but what is certain is that, given the available options, Chisholm Jr. at third and an external acquisition to play second would give the club the best chance to win in 2026.