The New York Yankees still have some question marks to address throughout the roster, especially at the second base position.
As Gleyber Torres hits the free-agent market for the first time in his career, the 27-year-old appears unlikely to return to The Bronx, barring a surprise change-of-heart from the organization.
There have been a handful of predictions made as to where Torres could land. The latest from Lauren Albanese of Newsday has the two-time All-Star leaving New York for a role with the Toronto Blue Jays.
“The Yankees don’t sound like they’re hoping for a reunion, but there are certainly other teams who could use Torres’ skillset. While it’s true Torres suffered some mental gaffes both playing second base and on the base paths, he was still a valuable cog in the lineup, slashing .257/.330/.378. He should come relatively cheap, all things considered, and that’s plenty tantalizing to teams. He’s familiar with the AL East, so why not stay there?” Albanese wrote.
What Torres will sign for remains to be seen, but that will likely play a large part in where he winds up. His market has been pretty quiet this offseason and there are some differences in projections for his next contract.
Spotrac projects a three-year, $21 million deal, while The Athletic projected earlier this offseason that Torres could land a contract worth up to $45 million.
With a career .265 average and 112 OPS+, Torres could appeal to plenty of teams needing some extra juice at the plate from the second base position. His defense remains one of the worst in MLB, and his baserunning blunders loomed large for the Yankees in 2024.
With that said, Torres showed he can still get hot with the bat, posting a .293 average and .780 OPS during the second half of the season.
Though it doesn’t appear a reunion will happen between Torres and the Yankees, it will be interesting to see if he lands with a division rival.
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