What’s next for the Yankees after signing Jazz Chisholm Jr.?

BOSTON — Late Saturday night, the New York Yankees were excited about their newest acquisition.

Sure, manager Aaron Boone said they weren’t entirely sure how they were going to use Jazz Chisholm Jr., acquired earlier in the day from the Miami Marlins. But Boone said the 26-year-old had “power” and “tremendous speed.” Aaron Judge called Chisholm “dynamic.” Marcus Stroman said he’s a “great person, a great guy.”

And just like any child who receives an unexpected gift, they probably all thought: What’s next?

The Yankees were without Chisholm for their 11-8, 10-inning win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday at Fenway Park.

They also weren’t sure he’d be in Boston in time for first pitch Sunday night. Chisholm was with the Marlins in Milwaukee on Saturday. It’s possible he’ll instead meet the Yankees in Philadelphia on Monday.

“We’ll see,” Boone said.

Chisholm’s transfer was the first move general manager Brian Cashman’s management was expected to make before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

Let’s take a look at what the future holds for the Yankees (61-45), who are one game behind the leader Baltimore Orioles in the American League East.

The Yankees have traded INF/OF Jazz Chisholm Jr.@BobLorenz & @JackCurryJA explain the move and its implications for the Yankees.#YANKsonYES photo.twitter.com/QAzb68u3jj

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) July 28, 2024

Get a reliever — or two?

The Yankees have long known they needed help in the bullpen, and Friday’s meltdown was a fresh reminder when Luke Weaver and Clay Holmes couldn’t combine to preserve a 7-4 lead in the eighth inning. They’re the best the Yankees’ bullpen has to offer right now, and Holmes has a 7.15 ERA in his last 12 outings since June 13, when he held the Yankees to two scoreless frames to clinch the win.

Of course, the Yankees have reinforcements that could be on the way. Scott Effross appears to still be working on brushing off the rust at Triple A after recovering from Tommy John surgery. Lou Trivino, Nick Burdi and Ian Hamilton could all be options but are in various stages of injury recovery. Ron Marinaccio could be another choice.

The Yankees could use someone to fit into the late-inning mix alongside Holmes, Weaver and Tommy Kahnle. The club has interest in Marlins closer Tanner Scott and has been in consistent contact with the Tampa Bay Rays about a variety of their players, multiple league sources said The Athletics. Tampa Bay has several relief arms it could sell, including Pete Fairbanks and Jason Adam. Another league source said Yankees evaluators have been eyeing the Toronto Blue Jays lately.

Since June 15, the Yankees’ relievers have been generally unreliable, posting a 4.64 ERA and 1.57 home runs per nine innings in the 126 innings pitched through Saturday. One of their biggest problems this season has been their inability to strikeout. As a group, many of the Yankees’ relievers have relied on soft contact and groundballs, which has sometimes put them in dangerous situations. Their 8.83 strikeouts per nine innings for the season was 16th-most in the majors before Saturday.

Another stick?

As of Saturday night, it was still unclear where the Yankees would place Chisholm, though there were signs that the team might move him to third base — a position he’s never played professionally. Chisholm began his minor-league career at shortstop and is seen as a strong second baseman whose skills could translate to third. Additionally, struggling veteran DJ LeMahieu has sat against right-handed starters in each of the last two games out of respect for the switch-hitting Oswaldo Cabrera. Though it’s possible they could try Gleyber Torres at third instead. Torres has played 23 games at third base in the minors, though none since 2018.

The Yankees need other potential positions. Torres has come on strong offensively of late, but his misstep on a shallow fly ball Saturday was a reminder that he’s made the most errors of any MLB second baseman this season. Left fielder Alex Verdugo has been disappointing at the plate, but top outfield prospect Jasson Domínguez (oblique injury) could be ready to return to the majors late next week. Or could Chicago White Sox left fielder Tommy Pham tempt them? Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring strain) returns to the Yankees on Monday. He’ll likely replace J.D. Davis on the roster, giving the Yankees an everyday DH and middle-of-the-order threat. Utility man Jon Berti (left calf strain) also figures to be an option in September.

And what about first base? Are the Yankees content to give the job to rookie Ben Rice, a left-handed hitter, based on his hot start (.294 BA in his first 17 games) and his cooling-off period (.080 BA in his last 14 games through Saturday)? Would they platoon LeMahieu with him? Or would they look outside the box? Isaac Paredes and Yandy Díaz of the Rays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Blue Jays would both be the sorts of upgrades the Yankees would love, but the cost of trading in-division would be significant. Luis Rengifo of the Los Angeles Angels would give the Yankees another versatile option in the infield. It’s unclear whether the Yankees can expect anything from former starting first baseman Anthony Rizzo (fractured forearm) for the remainder of the year.

And what about a starting pitcher?

Here’s the ERA of each Yankees starting pitcher as of June 15: Gerrit Cole, 5.40; Nestor Cortes, 5.40; Stroman, 5.56; Luis Gil, 6.26; Carlos Rodón, 7.94.

And when Rodón takes the mound Sunday, the Yankees will need him desperately to eat up innings for a bullpen that was overloaded Saturday and Friday by the brief appearances of Stroman and Cortes, respectively.

If the Yankees want to add a starting pitcher, they’ll have to be OK with cutting one from the mix, and the most likely candidates would be Cortes (prior bullpen experience) or Gil (workload concerns). Clarke Schmidt (right lat injury) could be an option in late August, but he also has bullpen experience.

The New York PostJoel Sherman reported that the Yankees have asked the Detroit Tigers for right-hander Jack Flaherty. With the Blue Jays selling pieces, would they be willing to give up left-hander Yusei Kikuchi? Although Blake Snell of the San Francisco Giants has drawn significant trade interest, according to The Athletics Andrew Baggarly, his salary may be a bit too high for the Yankees.

(Photo of Gleyber Torres hitting a two-run RBI double to end the game in the 10th inning against the Red Sox: Gregory Fisher/USA Today)