Yankees Should Avoid Gleyber Torres, Even if He Fits a Need

With free agency starting on Monday night for the New York Yankees and other teams around Major League Baseball, there are some big-time questions that have to be answered in the Bronx. 

For one, what the Yankees want to do with infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. will be at the top of that list. 

Chisholm has proven throughout his career that he can be a guy who has 30-30 potential, but reports have also indicated that players in New York, as well as manager Aaron Boone, have grown a bit frustrated with his attitude and antics. 

I don't want to say that Chisholm has done anything wrong, so to say, but I can understand where there have been some frustrations. Ultimately, guys can't be playing second base with a lollipop in their mouth, no matter if he thought that was okay or not.

And if the Yankees decide to let him walk, there's obviously a question of how they're going to replace him. There are some internal candidates, even possibly Anthony Volpe. 

We have to give him a lot of credit for what he was able to do throughout the postseason, showing everybody that he's not going to fold under pressure and could be the answer for the Yankees at second base for the long term. 

While the Yankees have to answer that question, there are some external candidates who also have to be considered. One of them recently floated was former Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres, though I think it's very fair to say that he just isn't the answer at this stage of his career.

“The best fit, believe it or not, is an old friend. Gleyber Torres was a divisive but objectively good Yankee from 2018-24, one who had extreme highs and depressing lows. He never reached the stardom expected of him after his incredible 2018 and 2019 seasons, but he rebounded from consecutive poor seasons to be productive in his final three seasons as a Yankee.

“He left off as the leadoff hitter on a pennant-winning Yankees team in 2024, rebounding from an awful start to post a .380 OBP after July 1. He departed for a one-year deal with the Tigers that offseason, signed a qualifying offer for 2026, and now hits free agency again,” Michael Zeno wrote.

Not that Torres is a bad player by any means, as nobody should be able to say that with a straight face, but the reality is that his time in New York didn't end well, and a lot of fans grew tired of him just a couple of seasons ago. 

Now, being older, he hasn't exactly gotten better as a player, and unfortunately, the Yankees just need more than him. 

I don't want to say they need a superstar at second base to figure everything out, but the Yankees need a guy who can come in and swing it at a high level, which Torres doesn't necessarily do anymore.