The New York Yankees lost in the World Series largely because of their poor defense. Gleyber Torres was a significant piece of that, finishing 31st in outs above average among second basemen, per Baseball Savant. When Brian Cashman traded for Jazz Chisholm Jr, he asked Torres to change his position to third base. After Cashman revealed that last week, Torres took to social media to respond.
“Still?
just turn
,” Torres posted in a since-deleted X post, per the New York Post.
Torres did not deny that the Yankees asked him to move off of second base. He just tells Cashman to move on from the drama and focus on his current team. Ironically enough, Cashman has not made a move to fill Torres’ hole in the infield. But Aaron Boone did say that Chisholm would be playing second base to start Spring Training.
Torres signed with the Detroit Tigers, ending his seven-year run with the Yankees. He signed a one-year deal, so a great season could get him a significant free-agent contract next season. But after a brutal season offensively and defensively, he was only able to pick up a one-year deal. Reports indicated that Torres was asked to move positions by other teams, but said he is a second baseman.
Gleyber Torres must leave his Yankees run behind him
Torres came to the Yankees in 2016 with a lot of hype. He was the top prospect in the Chicago Cubs’ system and was the key piece in the Aroldis Chapman trade. A shortstop prospect, Cashman thought Torres was his long-term answer to replacing Derek Jeter. He came up as a second baseman and transitioned to shortstop for the 2020 season. A brutal run there sent him back to second, where he also struggled.
While Torres picked it up as the Yankees’ lead-off hitter down the stretch, his offense was an issue for most of the season. He was hitting .231 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs heading into the All-Star Break. From then on, he hit .292 with seven homers and 28 RBIs in 30 fewer games. The Tigers are betting on that second half being repeatable for Torres.
The Yankees were weak defensively on the entire right side of the field. From Torres to a rotation of first baseman and Juan Soto, the defense was not the priority on that side. Paul Goldschmidt, Aaron Judge, and Jazz Chisolm Jr are a much better trio at first, second, and right field.
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