Baseball insider Jon Heyman predicts that Miami Marlins star Jazz Chisholm Jr. will be traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ever since the Marlins got off to a slow start, it’s been no secret that Chisholm would be available. Nor has it been a secret that the Pirates have inquired about him. Heyman’s prediction comes on the heels of a report by Bob Nightengale of USA Today that the Philadelphia Phillies have no interest in Chisholm. (Nightengale also reports that the Phillies have backed off Tommy Pham, another rumored Pirates target.)
Insider Predicts Pirates as Destination for Marlins Star
The Pirates need some sort of offensive upgrade to stay in the National League Wild Card race. Entering Friday’s action, the team averages are .232/.300/.369, all of which rank in the bottom third of the National League. They rank 13th in the NL with just 422 runs scored in their 102 games. Due to strong, deep starting pitching, however, the Pirates’ record is 52-50, placing them a mere 1 1/2 games out of the second Wild Card. With Mitch Keller and his 10-5 record anchoring the rotation while rookies Paul Skenes and Jared Jones pitch like 10-year veterans, the Pirates have a window where they can finally string together some winning seasons if only they could hit.
Against this backdrop, Chisholm, 26, would be a good fit if the Pirates could land him from the Marlins. So far in 2024, the left-handed hitter is hitting .248/.320/.407, 13 HR, and 50 RBI, while stealing 21 bases. The home run total would tie him for third on the Pirates with Andrew McCutchen. The stolen base total would lead the team. PNC Park’s short right field is made for a left-handed hitter with some pop. He’s been playing center field, where the Pirates are getting little production from their platoon combination of Jack Suwinski and Michael A. Taylor. Before moving to center field to make room for Luis Arráez in 2023, Chisholm was a second baseman. That ability would give manager Derek Shelton, who changes his lineup daily, extra flexibility.
Don’t Start Me to Talkin’
Besides the obvious need for a player of Chisholm’s ability, why Pittsburgh? There are concerns about his personality and brash outspokenness. He once told a reporter that some of his teammates “suck.” In a market like New York, that remark would appear in headlines usually reserved for declarations of war, and the story would linger for weeks. In a smaller market like Pittsburgh, it would blow over as quickly as it came out of Chisholm’s mouth. Additionally, Shelton would defuse any issues with Chisholm before they became issues.
Like any manager with a .417 winning percentage, Shelton is not overly popular in Pittsburgh. However, in 2022, any Pirates fan who was paying attention would have noticed that Shelton is the boss and has firm control over his players. That year, backup catcher Andrew Knapp was ejected from a game for yelling at an umpire from the bench. Soon thereafter, starting catcher Roberto Pérez was removed from the game with an injury, forcing infielder Josh VanMeter to go behind the plate. Knapp was designated for assignment shortly thereafter. A month later, rookie Rodolfo Castro, who had just been called up, was sent back to the minors when his failure to hustle allowed the other team to turn a double play.
Both times, there was no fuss, no tirade from Shelton. He didn’t blast them in his postgame press conference. Shelton isn’t Billy Martin. He doesn’t need to make headlines and try to show the world that he’s badass. He just is badass. (Note to self: Prepare to catch grief on social media over that one.) Thus, should the Pirates obtain Chisholm from the Marlins, his personality shouldn’t be an issue.
These Foolish Things
A controversial, outspoken player wouldn’t be new to the Pirates and shouldn’t be an obstacle to success. After all, they won with Dock Ellis on the team from 1968-75. When the Pirates went to San Francisco to play the Giants in the Championship Series in 1971, Ellis complained that the hotel beds were too small and had to get another hotel at his own expense. He called the organization “cheap” and said the Pirates didn’t deserve to win a pennant or a World Series. Earlier that season, he caused a controversy when he predicted he wouldn’t be chosen to start in the All-Star Game against the Oakland Athletics’ Vida Blue. “They’ll never start one brother against another,” said Ellis. (Ellis did start the All-Star Game. The ploy was the brainchild of Pirates trainer Tony Bartirome, an Italian.)
In 1972, Ellis tried to enter Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati without his identification card. The security guard refused him entry. In the ensuing dispute, Ellis was sprayed with mace and arrested. He made headlines again in 1973, when newspaper photographers caught him sitting in the bullpen, wearing hair curlers. Manager Bill Virdon ordered him not to wear them again. Ellis accused Virdon of being a messenger for commissioner Bowie Kuhn. “Baseball is getting behind the times again,” he said. (If this happened today, no manager or commissioner would care. Ellis might get some grief on social media, but that would be it.)
The Pirates and their fans just laughed off these instances as Dock being Dock, much like Manny Ramirez and the Boston Red Sox from 2001-08, when “Manny being Manny” became a catchphrase.
You Talk Too Much
Finally, in 1975, Ellis talked his way out of Pittsburgh. He was suspended for refusing to go to the bullpen. He called a team meeting that was expected to be an apology. Instead, he criticized manager Danny Murtaugh, saying he was old and the game had passed him by, and said that third baseman Richie Hebner stunk defensively. (He was right about Hebner.) Ellis was fined and accepted his bullpen assignment. The Pirates traded him to the New York Yankees after the season.
From 1970-75, the Pirates won five division titles and a World Series. They reacquired Ellis in September of 1979 for the stretch run. Of course, the Pirates went on to win the World Series that year, too, although Ellis wasn’t eligible for the postseason.
The Shape of Jazz to Come
If the Marlins move Chisholm to Pittsburgh, everybody in Pittsburgh would be happy to look back at his Pirates career and see there were some division titles and a World Series championship or two. It wouldn’t matter what he said or did in the meantime.
The Pirates would have him under control through 2026. Recently, they’ve signed key players to extensions that would keep them in Pittsburgh for a while. As a one-time All-Star, Chisholm may prove his worth and earn one of his own. But that’s getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s see if the Marlins and Pirates can work out a deal for Chisholm first. Heyman feels that Chisholm would land either in Pittsburgh or Seattle. However, the Mariners just picked up Randy Arozarena and may not feel the need for Chisholm anymore. Stay tuned to this site to see how the Chisholm saga unfolds.
Main Photo: © Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
