Ex-MLB GM praises Yankees' Jazz Chisholm trade, but warns against cost

Early returns on a trade deadline are always going to be skewed when an acquisition starts off like a house afire, and criticizing Brian Cashman's Jazz Chisholm addition got more difficult by the day when the Yankees ignited around him.

Chisholm posted two multi-homer games in his first four contests with the Yankees, both coming in Philadelphia, and only one of the dingers occurring while a position player was pitching. Chisholm took to third base with aplomb, showing off jaguar-like reflexes in his first ever professional games at the hot corner. He's aggressive on the bases and smooth at the dish. The dust settling on the trade deadline only made the Chisholm move shine brighter; depending on how much you trust Isaac Paredes' metrics, the Yankees might've gotten the best player to change hands in July.

But there was a significant cost. Somehow, in a seller's market, nobody was able to procure a better prospect in any other deal, in ex-GM Jim Bowden's eyes, than the Marlins pilfered for Jazz.

According to Bowden, the Chisholm move was both the best of the deadline (score!) and featured the best prospect who changed hands in ex-Yankee Agustin Ramirez. Bowden believes he'll be a 25-homer bat at the big-league level (which puts the onus on Austin Wells to keep producing).

Ex-MLB GM thinks Yankees made trade deadline's best deal for Jazz Chisholm, gave up best prospect

It's impressive the Yankees were able to land an electric talent without surrendering any of their untouchables (Jasson Dominguez, Spencer Jones, George Lombard Jr., Roderick Arias), though we all know Chisholm's reputation preceded him. So far, it seems like he was dogged unfairly; he's fit in the Yankees' clubhouse like a glove, injecting life into some stale starter dough and playing whatever position gets him on the field.

It's also wild that Ramirez really does seem to be the strongest prospect who changed teams at the deadline (or, at least, that he's in the conversation, depending on who you talk to). Fairly frustrating that, if the Yankees had surrendered another mid-tier prospect, they might've pulled off Bowden's best hitter trade AND best pitcher trade of the deadline, landing Jack Flaherty, too.

No need to dwell on that now, though. The Yankees seem to have pulled off a fair exchange of talent here, and maybe they'll be fairly taxed by trade partners moving forward because of it.