Getty Aaron Boone arguing
After removing the New York Yankees handle from his Instagram description and changing his profile picture, many believe Gleyber Torres won’t return in free agency. With the comments from higher-ups in the Yankees organization, too, there seems to be a chance that the two-time All-Star will play for a different team in 2025.
Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report expects that to be the case, predicting Torres will sign a one-year, $15 million deal with the Seattle Mariners.
“Gleyber Torres is coming off of the worst offensive season of his career, as he hit .257 with just a .709 OPS. Since homering 38 times in 2019 at the age of 22, he has never topped 25 home runs in a season. He hit just 15 across 587 at-bats in 2024,” Kelly wrote on November 11. “With that said, he will only be 28 when he celebrates his birthday in December. He also hit well at the top of Aaron Boone’s order as the Yankees defeated the Royals and Guardians en route to an AL pennant.
“There are going to be teams intrigued by him as a change-of-scenery candidate. Whether it was early in his career at shortstop or more recently at second base, the two-time All-Star has never graded out well defensively. But a team with an opening at second base—and perhaps some at-bats available at DH—will take a chance on him if they think his best years are still ahead of him offensively.”
Torres Named Free Agent Hitter With ‘Biggest Questions’
Torres, once viewed as one of the top second basemen in Major League Baseball, was still a productive player for the New York Yankees in 2024. His numbers were down last season compared to prior campaigns, but he still finished with an above-league average 101 OPS+ for the Yankees.
When Torres is at his best, he’s shown the ability to hit 25 home runs in a year, proving his value at a position that doesn’t have many power hitters.
Despite his prior showings, ESPN’s Jeff Passan believes he’s one of the hitters with the “biggest questions,” highlighting that he could welcome a change of scenery.
“Gleyber Torres, second baseman: One of the youngest free agents in the class at 28 on Opening Day, Torres is a prime change-of-scenery candidate after never living up to his early excellence,” Passan wrote on November 12.
Who Could Yankees Replace Torres With?
With Torres looking likely to depart in free agency, the New York Yankees will have to decide who will replace him.
That isn’t an easy question, but there are in-house options for them to consider. Jazz Chisholm Jr. has some experience at second base, and Aaron Boone highlighted Caleb Durbin as a prospect who could make an impact.
“I think he’s a stud, frankly,” Boone said on November 11. “Great bat-to-ball, elite ability on the bases as a base stealer, good defender in the middle of the diamond at second base.”
Boone has been impressed with the youngster, highlighting his flexibility, which Torres doesn’t always offer.
“He’s really started, over the year plus, to create some position flexibility too,” Boone said. “He’s played some short, he’s played some third, we introduced him to the outfield this year.
“It was my first chance to get to see him in person this spring. Really competitive, a hard-nosed, tough player. I’m excited about him and I think he’s going to play a big role for us this upcoming season.”
Adding another young player into the mix could be tough for the Yankees, but if they’re confident in Durbin, he should get a chance to prove his worth in spring training.
Jon Conahan covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. Since 2019, his sports coverage has appeared at Sports Illustrated, oddschecker, ClutchPoints and Sportskeeda. More about Jon Conahan
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