SARASOTA, Fla. — Holding court at his locker, Jazz Chisholm laughed and smiled and once again happily blurted out a bunch of stuff you’d never hear from any other Yankees player during the final innings of Friday’s Grapefruit League opener, a 2-0 loss to the Orioles.
Nobody else would brag about gunning for 50 homers and 50 steals.
He also not only is thinking about “catching Jeff Kent” for the most career homers by a second baseman, but he’s memorized the numbers he’s chasing:
“He hit 377. I know it on the dot. Robinson Cano is No. 2 at 335. I’m at 110.”
Chisholm later fought back tears sharing something that’ll be more on his mind than piling up numbers in his walk year to free agency.
“I’ll be real for you, the most thing that I’m playing for this year is my best friend that died last year,” he said. “My best friend, he’s not going to get to see me going to free agency. He’s not going to be able to see a lot of things that I do and it sucks. I wish he was here.”
After all that and much more, Chisholm told NJ.com what he’s thinking it’ll take for the Yankees to lock him up long term.
His number is $35 million for 8-to-10 seasons.
Here’s how the subject came up during his talk with NJ.com and the back-and-forth:
NJ.com: It seems to me that you love being a Yankee as much as anyone, even Aaron Judge.
Chisholm: “Oh, yeah. I love being a Yankee. Who doesn’t? If you don’t love being a Yankee, it’s crazy to me.”
NJ.com: I know you want to come back, but you want fair money, right? What if someone else offers the most money?
Chisholm: “I was a star before I came here. I was on the video game cover before. So the outside stuff … I understand.”
NJ.com: Are you thinking you’d take the Yankees’ best offer. What if the Dodgers offer more?
Chisholm: “I’d go to the Angels before I’d go to the Dodgers. I’d want to go and win by myself. I’d rather build my roof than go to the Dodgers.”
NJ.com: Do you have an idea of what kind of money you want?
Chisholm: “What did I tell you last year? $300 million?”
NJ.com: You told me $32 million a year.
Chisholm: “It’s probably bigger than that now, probably $35 million.”
NJ.com: You say you love being a Yankee. What if they offer a lot of money, but their best offer is lower than others?
Chisholm: What’s their best offer?
NJ.com: What if it’s $25 million a year.
Chisholm: I’d say no because I know I can get $35 million somewhere else. That’s $10 million less a year.
NJ.com: How many years do you want?
Chisholm: “I’m 28. I want 8-to-10 years.”
Fascinating stuff from a fascinating guy.
Here’s more:
Chisholm, who will make $10.2 million this season, might be underestimating his value.
According to an MLB scout who follows the Yankees, “Chisholm might get $40 million a year if he plays like he did last season. The Dodgers just gave Kyle Tucker $60 million. I’d take Chisholm over Tucker on my team.”
Chisholm looked good again in his spring debut. Playing four innings, he turned a double play to get pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez out of an inning and was on base twice in two plate appearances with a single and walk.
After showering and dressing, Chisholm was about to leave when the media was let back in the Yankees clubhouse during the seventh inning.
When Chisholm motioned to see if anyone wanted to interview him, the small group of writers headed his way thinking it might be showtime again.
NJ.com and Chisholm did almost all of the talking initially, then later in a one-on-one setting.
The exchange began NJ.com bringing up something manager Aaron Boone mentioned in his pre-game interview, Chisholm’s on-base percentage spiking since his summer of 2024 trade to the Yankees.
Chisholm was asked if he’d someday like to hit leadoff for the Yankees instead of batting fourth or fifth, which is Boone’s plan again for 2026.
“Someday?” Chisholm responded sarcastically. “Nah, just joking. I was a leadoff hitter in Miami and I loved it. I’ve really done well in the leadoff spot. I’d love leading off here. I’d love hitting in front of Judge.”
The subject eventually changed to Chisholm bringing up in a recent interview his desire to do something only achieved by the great Shohei Ohtani, 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season.
NJ.com asked if he was serious.
“OK, let me ask you a question,” Chisholm responded. “When I said 40/40 to you guys, did it seem realistic? I’m just asking you a question of when I said it last year, 40/40? What did you think?”
NJ.com replied, “I thought, ‘Let’s get 30/30 first.’ You did that.”
“Yeah, and I didn’t play a month either and I didn’t steal for two months,” Chisholm countered. “I’m not gonna say nothing that I don’t think I can do. I’m always going to speak positive into the atmosphere.
“I’m never going to tell myself or tell anybody that, ‘Oh, I’m just going to have a year where I hit 10 home runs and hit .250.’ Who does that sound like? A loser. That’s a loser!
“I’m going to go shoot for the stars, and if I don’t miss I’m going to end up on the moon!”
Chisholm’s impending free agency came up next. He was asked if he’s feeling any pressure to put up big offensive numbers again because his 2026 stats could make or cost him many millions in his next contract.
Smiling, Chisholm answered, “I think that brings out the best in me. I think the contract year is even better for me. I like pressure.
“I like going out there and having to play for something, having to go and do it and go win games and make it be meaningful every day. That’s what baseball is supposed to be about.
“You play for people, you play for your family, you play for your friends at home and you play for the (uniform) that you’re wearing every time. And also you play for yourself. So at the end of the day and you’re going out there and doing all that, how can you not get pumped up and excited and enjoy the ride?
“It’s just like a roller coaster. If you don’t enjoy the ride, it’s gonna suck. When you enjoy the ride, it’s one of the best rides of your life.”
That’s when Chisholm stopped talking for a second and remembered he’s playing for something else this season … someone else.
Looking like he was ready to cry, Chisholm said he and the friend that he lost recently had been close since they were kids. He also said, “Something happened tragic, so I don’t like talking about it” and “his family doesn’t want me to put it out there.”
It was sad seeing Chisholm’s mood change because his heart was hurting.
He perked up again talking about his quest to hit more homers than any second baseman. Chisholm rattling off Kent and Cano’s exact career homer totals and then his had everyone laughing.
NJ.com told Chisholm, “You want 50 this year, that gets you to 160.
“Yeah, then I’m going to do it again,” Chisholm said. “Then I can chill on 30 and cruise past Kent. I mean cruise past 30 every year … 38, 39, 40!”
Chisholm also wants $35 million salaries starting next season for a lot of years.
“Don’t ever set the bar low,” he said. “If you set the bar low, you’re a loser.”
Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.