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The New York Yankees have their work cut out for them this offseason. Their prime goal is going to be re-signing Aaron Judge obviously, but there are lots of other players whose future with the team is up in the air. One such player is starting second baseman Gleyber Torres.
Torres isn't a free agent, and would have to be moved via a trade, but there have been rumblings that the Yankees could be looking to unload him this offseason. Torres would certainly have value on the market, as he's coming off a strong season with New York, but it remains to be seen whether or not they are seriously exploring potential trades for Torres.
New York could opt to cut ties with Torres this offseason after his career has taken a bit of a downturn over the past few seasons, but it doesn't seem like the most logical idea to move on from Torres right now. Let's take a look at why that's the case, and see what the Yankees would stand to gain from holding onto Torres this offseason.
The Yankees need to hold onto Gleyber Torres this offseason
Torres started off his career with a bang for the Yankees back in 2018, and he was instantly an All-Star, and finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year race. Torres was even better in 2019 smacking 38 home runs for New York and earning his second straight All-Star selection while finishing 17th in the AL MVP race, which is nothing to scoff at.
Ever since then, though, Torres has been rather inconsistent. He did virtually nothing in the shortened 2020 season, and hit just nine home runs in 2021. Torres had a nice bounce back campaign in 2022 (.257 BA, 24 HR, 76 RBI, 10 SB, .761 OPS) but he wasn't close to reaching the heights he had hit back in 2019.
Torres' inability to consistently produce like he did earlier in his career hasn't made him an increasingly popular figure in New York, but it was surprising to hear that the team was fielding calls for Torres early on this offseason. Torres hasn't exactly been what he was expected to be after his scorching hot strat to his career, but that's not really a great reason to completely cut ties with him.
For starters, Torres just put together a nice bounce back campaign for the Yankees. It would be nice to see his batting average get back up to around .270, but if Torres can continue to hit between 25 and 30 home runs a season, the Yankees should be able to live with that. Torres also had a much better season in the field at second base after committing 18 errors at shortstop in 2021.
Torres is only going to be 26 next season, is under team control through 2025, and just posted a season where he accrued 4.1 WAR according to Baseball Reference. Why would the Yankees want to move on from Torres when they already have holes on their roster that need to be filled this offseason? That would just create another headache for New York to deal with.
The left side of the Yankees infield with Josh Donaldson and third base and Isiah Kiner-Falefa needs more attention than Torres needs at second base. Donaldson hit just .222 with 15 home runs last season, while Kiner-Falefa hit just four and had an OPS of .642. These are guys that New York should be looking to replace rather than Torres.
The Yankees could admittedly try to sell high on Torres considering he's coming off a nice season and is still young, but why risk him breaking out for another team? Torres hasn't always been the most reliable hitter in New York's lineup, but considering all the holes they have at other spots on their roster, it feels like there's no need to create another issue that would need to be dealt with this offseason.
New York would be better off exploring ways to get rid of Kiner-Falefa or Donaldson and trying to replace them in free agency. There are big name shortstops such as Trea Turner, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts, and Dansby Swanson that the Yankees should be looking to pursue to play alongside Torres at second base. Trading Torres feels like such a forced move at this stage of the game for New York.
The Yankees could justify a trade of Torres technically, but it doesn't feel like something the team should try to do this offseason. New York just got a strong season from Torres, and should be expecting him to deliver in similar fashion next year. The Yanks need to keep strong hitters around, not trade them, which is why they cannot afford to let go of Torres this offseason.
