Yankees’ Gleyber Torres Predicted to Sign Cheap Deal

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Gleyber Torres making contact with a pitch

The New York Yankees need a second baseman this winter, as a reunion with Gleyber Torres seems unlikely. Torres, once viewed as a potential star, has had his struggles over the past few years. The right-hander should find a team, but it remains uncertain what his contract might look like.

Given his struggles last season, a short-term deal for a decent AAV could be the way to go for Torres. If he plays how he can for a year or two, it will allow him to hit the market at a young age, potentially setting him up for a bigger payday down the road.

Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball believes a short-term deal could be what Torres lands, predicting him to sign a two-year, $28 million contract.

“The best player at his positon, and yet it is so hard to tell how the market will value Gleyber Torres When it comes to his bat, Torres showed enough last season for teams to be optimistic heading into 2025. He ranked among the top 10 second basemen in most statistics, and was one of the Yankees more solid bats in the playoffs behind the standout contributions from Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton…

“Being that he is one of the few starting second basemen on the market, with utility infielders Ha-Seong Kim and Jose Iglesias representing the other top free agent options at the position, Torres should have plenty of interest. With that said, teams may be wary of committing too many years to Torres, despite the fact that he is only 28 years old,” Finkelstein wrote on December 17.

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Yankees Predicted to Cut Ties With Torres

The New York Yankees have reasons to bring Torres back, but unless he could be had for about nothing, that money could be better spent elsewhere. $28 million over two years isn’t much for a player of his caliber, but the Yankees payroll is already expensive and has bigger needs than bringing Torres back.

Andrew Simon of MLB.com doesn’t expect the Yankees to bring him back, adding they have options to fill in at second base.

“Big things were expected from Torres, a top-five prospect, when the Yankees acquired him from the Cubs in the Aroldis Chapman trade at the 2016 Deadline. Torres quickly became a two-time All-Star for New York — at ages 21 and 22 — and appeared on his way to superstardom when he bashed 38 home runs in 2019.

“But visions of Torres becoming a legend in pinstripes slowly withered over the next five seasons, even as he continued to produce above-average offense. Now that Torres is a free agent, the Yankees seem prepared to move on, especially since doing so would allow them to shift Jazz Chisholm Jr. from third base back to second,” Simon wrote on December 14.

Will the Yankees Miss Torres?

There’s a lot to say about a player like Torres, who’s been with the New York Yankees for his entire Big League career. While he didn’t play well for parts of the campaign, he finished with a slightly above-league average of 101 OPS+. He’s a career 112 OPS+ hitter, so in some sense, the Yankees will miss that.

However, his defensive struggles should be enough for the Yankees to move on from him, even if they don’t find the perfect replacement offensively.