New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres is in a dream position ahead of his impending free agency. The two-time All-Star continued swinging a hot bat with three hits against Cleveland in Game 2 of the ALCS.
Torres is now batting .292 with a .933 OPS in the 2024 playoffs, quite the feat considering he only has one home run and three RBI. That’s on par for him, having hit .293 with a more modest .780 OPS after the All-Star Break. That helped Torres finish his contract year batting .257 with a 104 wRC+.
There is no secret sauce either. As Torres told Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, he ultimately just went back to basics and learned for what feels like the millionth time in seven MLB seasons:
Gleyber Torres is at his best when he hits to the opposite field. Just ask his lone postseason home run, which cleared Yankee Stadium’s famous short porch in right field.
It begs the question: Is Gleyber Torres playing himself into a new contract from the New York Yankees?
It’s certainly what Torres wants. He’s echoed team captain Aaron Judge’s free agency journey in wanting to “be a Yankee for life.”
The difference is that unlike his soon-to-be two-time MVP teammate, Gleyber Torres won’t be the Yankees’ top priority in the offseason. Far from it. General manager Brian Cashman will burn the candle at both ends to re-sign Juan Soto.
That said, there are still reasons for the Yankees to re-sign Torres. We’ve seen since July that when he’s locked in and committed to one simple approach, he excels. It’s almost enough to look past his several mental gaffes in the field.
But despite the mental mistakes, there is a path to Gleyber Torres staying with the Yankees. Jazz Chisholm Jr. would stay at third base, and one of Oswaldo Cabrera or Oswald Peraza would be the utility infielder. DJ LeMahieu, despite the high price tag and ten-and-five rights, will either be cut or relegated to backup first base duties.
Or, rather, the Yankees could recognize that infield depth and use it to move on from Gleyber Torres instead. Cabrera is a switch-hitter who plays all infield positions and both corner outfield spots. If he can get the streaky hitting under control, that job at second base could be his.
Another option is moving Chisholm to second and finally giving Peraza a shot at third base. He’s still young at 24 and hit a home run in four MLB games this year, and hit .243 with 16 homers and a .750 OPS in an injury-riddled minor league season. However, though there have been opportunities aplenty in the Yankees infield, Peraza has rarely gotten the call.
So, given all of that, let’s return to the original question. Is Gleyber Torres playing his way into a new contract with the Yankees? It’s not the regular season, sure, but Torres is still facing baseball’s best pitching in the most important games of the year. And he’s excelling.
Unfortunately, that probably isn’t enough to convince Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner to hand out a big contract with a bigger paycheck. There are too many strong in-house options.
Plus, think of the oh-so-rational Yankees fans and what they would expect if Torres re-signed. He would need to be in top form every game and also be a lock for 20 or more home runs. Gleyber Torres just isn’t that kind of hitter with juiced baseballs out of the picture.
We’ve seen strong playoff performances end up some beloved Yankees’ swan songs. Just ask Hideki Matsui, who was the 2009 World Series MVP before signing with the Angels in free agency. Or John Wetteland, who was the ’96 Series MVP before signing with Texas and paving the way for Mariano Rivera’s Hall-of-Fame career.
And who can forget CC Sabathia pitching until his arm literally wouldn’t let him anymore?
Gleyber Torres had some great moments in pinstripes and might not be done. He deserves every bit of praise he’s currently getting.
All in all, it’s a good way to say goodbye to New York.
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