We need to talk about Gleyber Torres again. And yes, it’s that talk.
Torres’ latest offense? Mishandling what should have been an easy double-play ball in the eighth inning of Monday’s game in Toronto. Torres’ Yankees won 7-4, but were leading 7-0 before his error led to the Blue Jays’ rally.
And on the hitting side, Torres is batting a flat and uninspiring .257. Not even six home runs and a .789 OPS make it look better. Forget that he had two hits on Tuesday. Two outs on the bases and more fielding mistakes almost negate them.
This has been the common narrative for Torres every year since 2020. Between injuries and overcompensating for power since a juiced ball-fueled 38-homer campaign in 2019, this is who he is now. A streaky overall hitter with 20-home run potential who might have some clutch hits scattered throughout a season.
That’s a far cry from the supposed next star the Yankees acquired from the Cubs in 2016. A clean, mean, contact hitting machine whose potential screamed hockey legend Pavel Datsyuk but with a baseball bat in his hands.
Now, Torres seems more primed for the same path as Slap Shot hero Reggie Dunlop. A nice enough guy with a few good seasons under his belt before turning journeyman and maybe sticking around the game just long enough to have that extra 15 minutes of fame.
The Yankees don’t have many reasons to keep Torres around either. Oswald Peraza might have lost the starting shortstop’s role to Anthony Volpe, but he’s still beloved in the organization. He’s also still just 22 years old and his bat’s power potential seems to be rising. Better yet, his price tag is significantly less than Torres’, who’s making just under $10 million this season and has one more arbitration year before free agency.
It’s pretty obvious what general manager Brian Cashman should do. The question is if he will. He came pretty close to trading Torres to the Marlins for righty Pablo Lopez last year before talks fell through. Torres is his old streaky self again this season. Meanwhile, Lopez was traded to the Twins and just signed a new contract.
Lucky for the Yankees, Torres is nowhere close to Aaron Hicks/Joey Gallo territory. He’s still a very good young player with plenty to offer this team. His strikeout rate (K%) has dropped nearly ten points to 12.7%. He could easily be a Yankee all season long.
Except the Yankees know exactly who Torres is at this point. His bat isn’t nearly consistent enough to justify the -34 career outs above average (OAA) or -2 defensive runs saved (DRS) at second base. Better to trade him this summer and maybe get a decent return than wait a year and make him headline a Cashman overpay for maybe a rental. We all know it’s time. Out with Torres, in with Peraza.
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