3 Reasons why the Jazz trade by the Marlins made sense

We were stunned when the blockbuster trade actually took place. It almost didn't seem real and made us reminisce about his legacy. I'm of course talking about the trade that sent Miami Marlins CF Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the New York Yankees. Jazz wasn't a free agent after the season and was the face of the team. Why trade him? Why not extend him instead? Here are the three reasons why the trade makes sense...

The Miami Marlins had three reasons to trade Jazz Chisholm Jr.

3. HEALTH

There's little more worrying than a player who can't stay healthy. Jazz Chisholm Jr. developed a reputation as injury-prone, which was pretty serious considering his long-term future. He had all kinds of injuries throughout his career: back problems, a toe injury, a shoulder injury, a hamstring injury, an oblique injury, an ankle injury...

In 2020 he played in only 21 out of a possible 60 games; in 2021, he played in 124 out of a possible 162 games; in 2022, he played in 60 out of a possible 162 games and in 2023 he played in 97 out of a possible 162 games. He's been healthy this season, but for how long? If he stays healthy, can he be trusted to avoid injuries in later seasons?

Health is a major concern and if Jazz Chisholm Jr. was to get an extension, it would've been vital to make sure that he wouldn't be an injury risk from the beginning of the contract.

NEXT: A FORGOTTEN REASON

1. JAZZ'S CONTRACT EXPECTATIONS

How much would Jazz Chisholm Jr. want in an extension? It's a bit odd that the most obvious reason has largely been ignored. It's easy to talk about the Miami Marlins extending him, but does he even want an extension? What if he made it clear to Peter Bendix that he wants to test free agency? Wouldn't it be too risky to wait until then?

Alternatively, what if Jazz wanted some unrealistic number? Maybe he wanted $100 million+ and wanted to be paid as an elite player. we don't know. It's of course possible that The Fish never even got that far with him. It's possible that Bendix never approached him about an extension and the two sides never exchanged any numbers. It's always a possibility that Jazz would've been interested in some type of hometown discount, or a more realistic number in a contract extension.

At the end of the day, we can't say that the Miami Marlins should've extended Jazz Chisholm Jr. when we don't know what it would've cost. We also have to question if extending him was even a smart move based on both his injury history and his batting profile. Trading him while he's healthy and at peak value may have been the most logical move. My personal opinion is that he should've only been traded if he didn't want an extension, or had unrealistic expectations in one. For now though, I will miss seeing his infectious smile after hitting a home run.