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One of the many subplots that overtook the Yankees‘ 2024 season at times was the apparent fall from grace of second baseman Gleyber Torres, who broke into the Bronx with two stellar first seasons, combining to hit 62 home runs and drive in 167 runs in his rookie and sophomore seasons, both of which produced All-Star spots.
That was 2018 and 2019. Covid hit in 2020, and Torres never really got going in that shortened season. Really, his career in general never quite bounced back thereafter, either, as he hit just .254 with 58 combined home runs in the three years that followed.
Then came 2024. Torres got off to a horrendous start—he was hitting .221 with a .246 on-base percentage and a .343 slugging mark through the July 4 holiday, appearing in 86 games—that had the Yankees rumored to be actively looking for a trade replacement ahead of the July 30 deadline.
Poor fielding and multiple instances in which manager Aaron Boone had to defend Torres for failing to run out ground balls only added to the negative ledger on Torres. Now, entering the start of the postseason for the Yankees, Torres has to consider his impending free agency, and the fact that he might be playing his final games for the Pinstripes after such a promising start to his time in New York.
According to predictions laid out in Bleacher Report, Torres is likely not just to hit the free-agent market this winter, but he is likely to bolt—across the country to the San Francisco Giants.
Yankees Could Lose Starter to Giants
From a post written by Erik Breaston of B/R this week, titled, “MLB Free Agents 2024: Latest Predictions Before ALDS, NLDS Bracket Games,” Torres is tabbed as a player expected to be on the move:
“On the surface, there is not much to love about Torres’ 2024, which is likely why he is not garnering the same attention as a premiere free agent that others are. Still, his play improved down the stretch and there will still be teams clamoring for the opportunity to add Gleyber’s bat, traditionally strong as it is, to their lineups.
“The San Francisco Giants need a second baseman and could always use the spark of offense that Torres provides when he is ‘on.’ Conversely, the seven-year man could use a change of scenery. It is a mutually beneficial pairing, at least on paper, and one the Giants can likely make happen at a lower price than they would have had Torres hit the market a season or two ago.”
The price tag for Torres, according to Spotrac’s market valuation, figures to be $21 million for three seasons.
Gleyber Torres Hot Entering MLB Playoffs
It is true that Torres could use a change in scenery. He has not appeared comfortable with the level of attention that playing for the Yankees attracts, and while Boone is publicly supportive of Torres, there is a sense that Boone would not be disappointed to see Torres leave town.
The Yankees added infielder Jazz Chisholm at the trade deadline this summer, and while Chisholm has worked to learn to lay third base for the Yankees for the first time in his career, he is more natural as a second baseman.
The Yankees could easily let Torres go, move Chisholm to second base and find a third baseman in free agency.
But, then, Torres and the Yankees have one last chance to learn to love each other. As Breaston points out, Torres was a hot hitter for the Yankees down the stretch. He batted .298 after July 4, and in 25 games in September and October, he batted .333 with an OPS of .659.
If he keeps that going this month, he could find himself a Yankees postseason hero. Anything is possible, of course, but that would make him difficult to lose when free agency hits.
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