In 2018, when Gleyber Torres was in his first moments in MLB and the Yankees needed a starting pitcher, Brian Cashman (GM of the Yankees) claimed that the young Venezuelan was absolutely untouchable in a possible trade.
A pedigree of the best hope, good performances in his rookie year and still very young: it made sense.
The problem is that since that time, Torres seems to be on a downward slope. Yes, his 2019 year was exceptional (he had hit 38 home runs) but since then he doesn’t seem to be the same player. His batting power is completely gone, his defense is abysmal, and he’s had episodes where his lack of intensity made him look (very) bad.
what is this effort pic.twitter.com/mdgUaPqSPc
— Talkin’ Yanks (@Talkin’Yanks) April 22, 2021
In short, we are entitled to ask ourselves the question: what should the Yankees do with the young infielder?
Trade it while it still has some value or hope it can bounce back?
A deep dive on the state of Gleyber Torres w/ @RandyJMiller and @BobKlap — https://t.co/6GLray17yj #Yankees
— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) February 8, 2022
We know it: the Yankees have a surplus of players in the infield. Torres would ideally play second base, but it’s the natural position of DJ LeMahieu, who is currently more useful to the Yankees than Torres is.
There is also a scenario in which LeMahieu would play third base, but is that really ideal?
Still, Torres is only 25 and has already shown he has enormous potential. Could he regain his power of 2019? Maybe not, since the ball was advantageous to the hitters, but the fact remains that he has a good toolbox.
He has also had some health issues since 2020 and the pandemic has made the situation difficult for many players (Christian Yelich and Cody Bellinger, in particular).
However, the Clint Frazier saga could perhaps encourage the Yankees to trade Torres before he loses all his value as Frazier. The outfielder experienced a descent into hell in the Bronx and we may not want to relive the same scenario.
I think Torres will be a member of the Yankees at the start of the coming season, but it will be a pivotal year for his future. If he continues to struggle, the Yankees could have a short time with him.
But if ever Torres is a play that can bring Matt Olson to New York (if they don’t sign Freddie Freeman) and it allows the Yankees to pull out the checkbook for Carlos Correa or Trevor Story, it might prompt Cashman to rush his decision. .
