MIAMI — The painful irony was impossible to ignore Saturday at loanDepot park. While Jazz Chisholm Jr. was making costly mental mistakes on the basepaths, the prospect the New York Yankees traded away to acquire him was busy delivering the performance that sank their chances.
Agustin Ramirez homered twice to account for all the offense in Miami’s 2-0 victory over the Yankees. The 23-year-old catcher, who was the centerpiece of last July’s trade that sent Chisholm to New York, provided a stark reminder of what the Bronx Bombers surrendered in their pursuit of the versatile infielder.
Ramirez makes Yankees pay for Chisholm trade
New York Daily News
Agustin Ramirez delivered exactly the type of performance that has Yankees fans questioning the wisdom of last year’s deadline deal.
Ramirez, who was Friday’s walk-off hero with a dribbler in front of the plate, recorded the third multi-homer performance of his young career on Saturday. His two solo shots provided the only runs Miami needed in what became a dominant pitching performance by Eury Perez and the Marlins bullpen.
The Dominican Republic native connected for his 16th homer in the first inning, driving a fastball 421 feet into the left-center field seats off Yankees starter Cam Schlittler. He added another solo blast later in the game, each swing serving as a painful reminder of what the Yankees surrendered in their pursuit of the versatile Chisholm.
“That’s what I want,” Ramirez said via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “I want to be a star, and I want to have a long career in MLB.”
Since his April debut, Ramirez has established himself as a legitimate power threat. He has already smashed eight home runs and 11 doubles while posting a .238/.295/.456 line. His power potential has drawn attention throughout baseball.
Boone’s dugout explosion over Chisholm blunder
While Ramirez was showcasing his star potential, Chisholm provided the type of fundamental breakdown that has become a troubling pattern for the Yankees. Chisholm was doubled off in the second inning after Paul Goldschmidt popped a ball up to Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards.
Aaron Boone was very frustrated with first base coach Travis Chapman after that Chisholm play pic.twitter.com/VlyyxTGxr9
The mental mistake triggered a rare public display of frustration from manager Aaron Boone. Cameras caught Boone lighting into first-base coach Travis Chapman after the baserunning blunder, with YES Network’s Paul O’Neill noting: “That’s about as heated as I’ve seen Aaron Boone in the dugout when talking to a coach.”
Boone later explained his heated exchange: “The only thing I was saying was, ‘Could we have yelled louder when he gets into the danger zone?'” The manager appeared to blame both the player and coaching staff for the costly mistake.
After the inning ended, Boone met Chisholm at the tunnel and gestured for him to follow into the clubhouse, presumably for a private conversation away from cameras.
Boone pushes back on criticism
Despite mounting criticism over the team’s mental mistakes, Boone pushed back against suggestions that Chisholm should be benched for his baserunning gaffe. The manager defended his decision to keep the struggling infielder in the lineup.
“No, it’s a guy trying to make a play,” Boone said when asked if he would bench Chisholm. “I get that it looks bad and it’s a bad play, but this is not a case of a guy that’s dogging it.”
Aaron Boone says Jazz Chisholm was trying to "make a play" and run to second expecting Xavier Edwards to let the ball drop and try and swap the runners
Boone said he didn't bench Jazz because it wasn't a case of a guy dogging it and said "I'm not just gonna take guys out for… pic.twitter.com/s90zyBKvnZ
Boone explained that Chisholm thought Edwards might intentionally let the ball drop to get the lead runner and wound up too far away from first to get back in time. Chisholm confirmed his manager’s explanation: “I told him exactly what I just told you: I played here before, he deked it pretty well, like he was going to drop it.”
The manager’s reluctance to discipline players for mental errors has become a point of contention among fans and analysts. Boone has rarely benched players during his tenure. Since 2018, Gleyber Torres is perhaps the most notable exception, once cited for a perceived lack of hustle.
Trade looking worse by the day
The contrasting performances Saturday highlighted the growing concerns about the Chisholm trade. While the Yankees acquired a player whose injury history and mental mistakes have hindered their championship pursuit, Miami received a prospect who appears ready to anchor their lineup for years to come.
Chisholm’s injury history has become a defining characteristic of his career. The pattern continued into 2025 with alarming frequency. An oblique strain sidelined him for the entire month of May. His defensive struggles at third base have created additional roster management challenges for Boone.
Meanwhile, Baseball Prospectus rated Ramirez the No. 55 overall prospect entering 2025 after he belted 25 homers and drove in 93 runs in the minors last season. The young catcher has shown the type of offensive upside that makes teams regret trading away prospects.
Yankees’ fundamental issues continue
Saturday’s loss exemplified larger concerns about the Yankees’ fundamentals and decision-making. Too often in recent memory, the Yankees have showcased baserunning miscues that Boone insists “can’t happen.”
The baserunning mistakes have become a troubling pattern for a club with championship aspirations. There was Jorbit Vivas not sliding into third base on July 18 in Atlanta, then Austin Wells wandering off second Wednesday in New York.
At 60-51, the Yankees are in third place in the American League East, but their inability to execute fundamentals continues to cost them winnable games. “We have really good players. We think we have a really good team,” Boone said. “We haven’t realized our potential yet. We’ve got to get there. We’ve got a couple of months to do it.”
Hopes fading?
The evaluation of the Chisholm-Ramirez trade grows more complicated with each passing game. While the Yankees sought immediate help for a championship push, they may have given up a future star for a player whose availability and decision-making remain constant concerns.
As the season progresses, Saturday’s performance by Ramirez serves as a painful reminder that sometimes the best trades are the ones you don’t make.
“We have really good players. We think we have a really good team,” Boone said. “We haven’t realized our potential yet. We’ve got to get there. We’ve got a couple of months to do it.”
At 60-51, the Yankees are in third place in the American League East, but Saturday’s loss exemplified larger concerns about the team’s fundamentals and decision-making. The baserunning mistakes have become a troubling pattern for a club with championship aspirations.
