Apparently, the Yankees have come around to the idea of trading star infielder Gleyber Torres after all.
After years of refusing to even discuss him, this past MLB trade deadline came and went without a Torres trade.
Afterward, a report came out saying that the Yankees did indeed discuss trading Torres, which is a first since they acquired him from the Cubs in the first place.
Per a person with knowledge of New York’s negotiations (via NJ.com’s Brendan Kuty), “the Yankees were talking to the Nationals in the early stages of a possible Juan Soto trade. But the Yankees were never truly convinced that they could offer a package that would nab the 23-year-old superstar, and they believed they were on the outside looking in well before Washington sent Soto to the Padres on Tuesday afternoon.”
Could Gleyber Torres fuel the Yankees rumors this winter?
The Yankees considered moving Torres in deals that would’ve brought back impact talent such as former Nationals star Juan Soto or former Brewers’ Josh Hader. Both of them had multiple years of control left and are superstars. Hader leads the MLB in saves, while we all know how great Soto is.
That being said, it is intriguing the Yankees considered moving their young second baseman, who isn’t a free agent until 2025. Despite that, don’t be surprised to see teams ask about Torres in the offseason.
The 25-year-old will be highly-sought after as teams believe they can improve any issues he may have. Torres has 20 doubles and 16 home runs on the season with 46 RBI. He has hit .257 with a 119 OPS+. Those are pretty good numbers for a second baseman.
The Yanks might be looking to clear salary this offseason if they can bring back Aaron Judge or sign another player to a big-ticket contract. Hicks is clearly not worth the $30+ million he is owed over the next three years. Neither is Josh Donaldson, who’s still owed $25 million next year. Attaching Torres to those deals makes both players more appetizing in a potential trade.
Only time will tell, but it does sound like the two-time All-Star could be available for teams in need of an infielder this offseason.