The MLB trade deadline is creeping up closer and closer, and plenty of trades will surely go down with the Wild Card picture being so bunched up in both leagues. For the New York Yankees, the past month or so hasn't exactly gone according to plan. They've lost control of the AL East division lead after a horrid stretch, which likely makes them a team that's going to be aggressive in buying — with the Miami Marlins looming as an ideal trade partner.

In particular, the Yankees have reportedly shown interest in Marlins reliever Tanner Scott and center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. While both those players will go a long way towards bolstering the team's contending hopes, one of those players — Chisholm — comes with plenty of question marks in terms of character and how he fits into the locker room.

Chisholm has ruffled some feathers in the Marlins dugout, with the team's veterans not exactly seeing eye-to-eye with him. Nonetheless, an anonymous player spoke with Jon Heyman of the New York Post and gave Chisholm a ringing endorsement that should do nothing but encourage the Yankees to continue in their pursuit of the versatile outfielder.

“Jazz is a good kid, he just needs direction. He is a really good worker — first one to the park. All the antics is just a show. Deep down, he is humble,” the player said. “The New York fans would love him, he loves to interact with the crowd. Just your classic super talented kid who needs a little structure as he can wander off at times.”

Based off how some would talk about Jazz Chisholm Jr., it's like he's guilty of causing major locker room rifts. He's just a 26-year-old outfielder whose energy doesn't necessarily align with those around him, which makes him look bad by comparison.

For the Yankees, betting on Chisholm to put all his tools together may be worthwhile. They will have a little over a week to decide whether rescuing him from a dreadful Marlins team will be worth the cost.

Can Jazz Chisholm Jr. make his mark for the Yankees?

It's a near-certainty that Jazz Chisholm Jr. won't be a member of the Marlins organization past the trade deadline. Miami has a putrid 33-63 record at the time of writing, so there's no sense for them to hold onto Chisholm instead of cashing in on him as a trade asset.

The Yankees appear to be the loudest suitor for Chisholm, and he'll certainly be of help to a team that's still missing a few key members due to injury. New York has also encountered its fair share of offensive woes over the past month or so, and Chisholm has plenty of pop in his bat to be a major improvement over the struggling Alex Verdugo.

Gleyber Torres is still the Yankees' everyday second baseman, but 2024 hasn't exactly been his year. His OPS is at a career worst .654; Chisholm should once again provide valuable cover for that position. He is currently slashing .249/.321/.407, which isn't a huge upgrade by any means, but he has still been more productive from the plate than Torres has been.

It's unclear, however, just how much it would take for the Yankees to acquire Chisholm. He is only 26 years of age, and he's under team control until 2026, making him a very valuable asset. Players who can suit up at center field and at second base while having some huge pop in their bat are a rare commodity, making Chisholm stand out even more.

Chisholm, however, has only played in over 100 games once in his career, and that was during his first full season in 2021. Since then, a plethora of injury woes have slowed his roll, although 2024 is shaping up to be the healthiest of his career as he has only missed three games for the Marlins this season.

Will the Yankees have the appetite to acquire a player with Chisholm's injury history? He has gone through plenty of leg issues, most notably sustaining a broken toe last season and then dealing with some hamstring and knee problems throughout his big-league career. The last thing the Yankees, a team that's right on the hunt for the AL East division lead, need is to pull off a blockbuster trade for someone who could help them win now and not have them on the field.

The good news is that Chisholm won't be a rental, and that he's young enough to keep up his current level of play. But the Yankees will have to assess the pros and cons of adding him on board, even if they may be accepting of his past that's chock full of issues.