You get the feeling that the Yankees offseason stove just had the heat turned on. It feels like the hot stove isn’t hot yet, but it’s definitely heating up. This week, we’ve heard that New York is heavy in on top starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and we’ve also heard talks are progressing with the Padres on a potential Juan Soto trade.
In my opinion, the Soto trade is the one thing that has to happen for the Yankees. You cannot draw up a more perfect move for the Yanks and it sounds like he is their top priority now ahead of the Winter Meetings. From reading the tea leaves, it sounds like the foundation is being built on a trade with the Padres and hopefully the deal gets closed in Nashville at the meetings.
While Soto and Yamamoto are who the Yankees are focused on acquiring, I want to touch on a player that I believe they should look to move. That player is Gleyber Torres and I know this is going to draw mixed reactions from the fanbase. Torres is a bit of a polarizing player for the fans. Some love him while others are disappointed that he never really developed into the superstar they thought he would develop into.
Torres had decent bounce back years for the Yankees in 2022 and 2023 after they shifted him back to 2nd base full time. He struggled in 2021 when they tried to move him to shortstop and it just seemed like he never got back to the player that we all saw in 2018 and 2019.
Torres is entering his final year with the Yankees and is projected to make $15 million after his bump in arbitration. If you ask me, I think the team should move on.
The Yankees Should Trade Gleyber Torres
This is no longer George Steinbrenner’s Yankees where the payroll has an unlimited ceiling. Hal Steinbrenner has his limits and he’s made it clear that he doesn’t think you need a 300 million dollar payroll to win a World Series. In my opinion, the Yankees have to get Yamamoto and Soto and getting those two players is not going to be cheap.
DJ LeMahieu is signed for several more years and as things currently stand, the Yankees do not have a spot for top prospect Oswald Peraza. Peraza in my opinion should get the chance to play every day and that only happens if the team moves on from Gleyber Torres. Trading Torres saves the team money and gives Peraza a path to play and it sets the infield without having to think about it.
Peraza could take over at second while DJ could play third or you could switch those two around. Rizzo has first while Volpe has shorstop and you’re good to go. A dream scenario for me would be if the Yankees could sign Cody Bellinger as well with the idea of him playing centerfield this year and moving to first base in 2025 after Rizzo leaves and Dominguez returns from injury.
The money to sign Bellinger is freed up by trading Gleyber Torres away. Of course, Bellinger is more expensive than Torres, but Steinbrenner is much more likely to cut that extra check if Torres’ $15 million is off the books. At the end of the day, Gleyber Torres is a very solid player. However, if you’re asking me, the team would be better off moving Torres for some prospects which would in turn allow them to use the money where there are greater needs.