Lately, New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres has been the subject of trade rumors. After two straight all-star game appearances in 2018 and 2019, Torres hasn’t been the same player. He also currently has two years of club control remaining, giving the Yankees all the leverage in trade talks. At last year’s trade deadline, he was going to be traded to the Marlins. The Yankees also had a few infield prospects who were very close to coming up. Heck, another infield prospect Oswaldo Cabrera was being played out of the position in the outfield all last season. However, with Josh Donaldson’s contract expiring, I believe the Yankees can keep him long-term.
A Quick Rise
Gleyber Torres came to the Yankees in a deal that saw them send closer Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs. Upon being called up, Torres burst onto the scene and had an immediate impact. During his first two seasons in the Bronx, Torres hit .275 with 62 home runs, 167 RBI, and an OPS of .849. The 2020 season was a bit of a drop-off for Torres statistically. However, Torres was learning to be a shortstop at the big-league level and the season was shortened due to COVID-19. Despite those obstacles, Torres still posted a decent OPS of .724.
A Terrible 2021 Season
In 2021, Torres had the worst season of his career both offensively and defensively. At the plate, Gleyber only hit .259 with just nine home runs and 51 RBI and posted an OPS of just .697. He also had a strikeout rate of 20.2%. Defensively, Gleyber Torres never seemed to look comfortable over at shortstop. His issues as a shortstop also affected his offensive production. Torres committed 18 errors at the position. Only Bo Bichette, Javier Baez, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Fernando Tatis Jr., committed more errors among shortstops than Torres. In September, the Yankees finally ended the experiment and moved Torres back to second base.
A Rebound 2022 Season
Last season, Gleyber Torres put together a bounce-back campaign. In 2022, Torres hit .257 with 24 home runs, 76 RBI, and an OPS of .761. Despite going into a deep slump in August where he had a miserable OPS of .464, Torres had been consistently productive. Torres started to somewhat resemble the player the Yankees had during the first two years of his career. Given the numbers he put up, the Yankees probably should’ve kept him at second base the whole time.
Subject To Trade Rumors Lately
Despite the positive production, the Yankees started to shop Torres around at the trade deadline. At one point, he was included in a deal for the then-Marlins pitcher Pablo Lopez. However, Miami backed out of the deal at the last moment and Torres remained a Yankee. Ever since that deal fell through, Gleyber has been constantly linked to trade rumors. The Yankees have two years of team control left, a few top infield prospects coming up, and they could get a good haul in return if they traded him. After all, he is also only 26 years old. This offseason, the Yankees showed no interest in trying to offer him a long-term deal, and during his interviews, he seemed sad.
Not Sacrificing Versatility And Moving Someone Else To Third Base
At the end of the season, Josh Donaldson’s awful contract is set to expire. This will leave an opening at third base. While the Yankees are envisioning a middle infield of Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe, third base will be open. Why sacrifice the versatility of Oswaldo Cabrera and DJ LeMahieu to have them just play third base? If the Yankees do this right, they can easily move Oswald Peraza over to the position. After all, Alex Rodriguez made the move over to third base after spending the first ten seasons of his career as a shortstop.
A Red Hot Start In 2023
So far this season, Torres is off to a hot start. In the first six games of this season, Gleyber Torres put up a sizzling OPS of 1.343 and is batting .421. Gleyber has looked even better at the plate in the field than at any point during his first few seasons. There are ways for the Yankees to keep Torres around. The Yankees would be smart to make Torres a part of their future as well. He is a quality bat and that is something that the Yankees need in their lineup.
For more on baseball, check out Belly Up Sports and follow Eric on Twitter.
