The New York Yankees have been one of MLB’s best offensive teams so far in May, ranking second in batting average and home runs, as well as within the top 10 for total hits and runs.
But one member of the team who was expected to serve as a key member of the batting order, two-time All-Star Gleyber Torres, continues to fall short of expectations at the plate. And with Torres set for free agency at the end of the season, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic projected that those offensive issues will be enough to end his tenure with the Yankees.
“The numbers going into Wednesday (.214 average, two homers, 10 RBIs, .569 OPS) were atrocious,” Kuty noted. “The guess here is that Torres isn’t in pinstripes beyond this season.”
Gleyber Torres May Lose His Starting Job With the New York Yankees
The Yankees opened the season with Torres in the leadoff spot, but he’s since been moved down to bat seventh. He continues to earn starts at second base, maintaining a .968 fielding percentage there, but it might be hard for the Yankees to justify starting him if his offense doesn’t pick up soon.
“If Torres continues on this path, he might be out of a starting job come the summer,” Kuty added. “But if his production is only middling the rest of the way, could he consider a pillow contract to reestablish his stature in free agency? And would the Yankees jump at the potential value?”
Torres is on a one-year, $14.2 million contract for this season and it’s hard to say what he might earn in free agency. Second base is a premium position and his pedigree suggests he could return to the kind of offensive production that would merit a large contract. In seven big-league seasons, he’s slashed .264/.332/.444 with 25 homers and 13 stolen bases last season alone.
Before this season started, Kuty’s colleague Tim Britton projected Torres’ next deal at $68 million over four years.
“On the one hand, he hasn’t produced enough that a team would comfortably sign him through his mid-30s,” Britton noted. “On the other hand, a shorter-term deal would capture most of his prime with little of the downside after, which could lift the (average annual value) AAV.”
Despite Slump, Gleyber Torres Could Still Earn a Big Deal from the New York Yankees or Elsewhere
Late last month, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report ranked Torres as a top-10 pending free agent and even if he doesn’t return to his All-Star production this season, there’s reason to believe he will still land a significant deal. Though Kuty doesn’t believe that deal will come from the Yankees, Torres’ upside when he’s hitting is tantalizing.
“Really pleased with the game over all that Gleyber played,” manager Aaron Boone said after Torres logged two hits against the Minnesota Twins. “Two hits, lined another ball to center. Yeah, when he’s going, then the lineup’s got some real length to it.
It’s not too late for Torres to turn his season around and flash the kind of return to form that would be impossible for the Yankees to ignore. In any case, Torres must hope to retain his starting job if he wants to showcase his talents ahead of a significant free agency.
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Yankees Predicted to Move on From 2-Time All-Star Following ‘Atrocious’ Start