Retaining second baseman Gleyber Torres doesn't appear to be in the cards for the New York Yankees.
Despite losing superstar outfielder Juan Soto to the cross-town rival New York Mets, Torres, who spent his entire seven-year big-league career in the Bronx, has yet to be linked to the Yankees this offseason.
However, Torres has reportedly been drawing interest from other teams.
“Somebody asked me, ‘Gleyber Torres to the Angels?’ I don’t think that’s happening,”MLB insider Jon Heyman said on Bleacher Report’s MLB Insider Notebook on Thursday. “At least not now. They did make him an offer. He declined the offer. I don’t think it was about the offer. If I know Gleyber Torres, I think most likely, he would prefer to be on the East Coast if he can, in Florida spring training. So I think that’s probably the reason behind that.”
In addition to the Angels, the Washington Nationals have also shown interest in Torres as a third baseman given they currently have Luis Garcia slotted in at second base, per Joel Sherman of The New York Post.
Torres refused to move to third base last season after the Yankees acquired Jazz Chisholm Jr. at the trade deadline. Instead, Chisholm manned the hot corner for the first time in his career and held his own the rest of the way.
However, Sherman believes Torres could be more inclined to change positions to improve his market. He would also have a full offseason to learn third base, as opposed to doing so on the fly during the regular season.
Torres got off to a rough start in 2024, hitting .231 with a .654 OPS in the first half of the season. But the infielder was able to bounce-back following the All-Star break with a .292/.361/.419 slash line and .780 OPS in his final 61 games.
Torres shined once the Yankees moved him into the leadoff spot on a full-time basis in late-July. He also had a solid postseason, hitting .241 with a .745 OPS and two home runs in 14 games.
Torres just turned 28-years-old, so it's still possible that he could take a one-year prove it deal to increase his value before reentering free agency next offseason.
The second baseman made the AL All-Star team in his first two seasons in the majors with the Yankees in 2018 and 2019. Torres slugged 25 homers with a .800 OPS in 2023 and was one of the best offensive players at his position in that season.
It remains to be seen whether Torres will land a multi-year contract this winter or have to settle for a one-year contract.
