It’s going to be a busy offseason for the Yankees.
As expected, Anthony Rizzo was paid to go away, and the Yankees smartly decided that Gerrit Cole should go nowhere.
I think we’d all be shocked if Clay Holmes returned – not because he isn’t very good, because spending significant money on relivers is silly. I think we’d all be shocked if Alex Verdugo returned, because he’s not particularly good at baseball. And rather obviously, Juan Soto is the priority.
That leaves us with the curious case of Gleyber Torres.
Gleyber’s upside is undeniable: He’s young and he can hit. Period.
Despite clearly not being 100% healthy early in the season, (that HBP on the hand in Houston and the pulled groin were clearly far more serious than what was reported) he still ended up with a plus wRC+ on the 2024 season. He’s been remarkably consistent – all five of his full seasons as a second baseman have ended with a wRC+ between 104 and 125 – and that 104 this season was dragged down by the aforementioned issues.
Don’t believe me?
From April 27th on, Gleyber’s wRC+ was 115, essentially his career average, and third best on the Yankees. From June 28th through the end of the season, his wRC+ was 126 over 338 PA – better than his career best in 2019. The Gleyber we saw in the second half was the best Gleyber we’ve seen.
He’s yet to turn 28, so he may even improve, and he’s been durable, playing in 96% of team games over the past two seasons.
Young players who have proven they can hit do not grow on trees. If you can get one for cheap (projections have Gleyber’s contract at 3-5 years at $18 million per year), you do it 100 times out of 100.
But wait…to be fair, there are red flags.
Gleyber’s defense is not good and his baserunning is worse. Those are the reasons that despite the strong bat at an up the middle position, he’s only cleared three fWAR twice in six full seasons, topping out at 3.6 in 2022. It’s unlikely that he will finish his career as a second baseman, and a very good bat for a second baseman is merely a good bat for a corner OF or first baseman.
That’s where I’d start. Ask Gleyber if he’d be amenable to playing first base or left field and take it from there. If he posts a 115 – 120 wRC+ at those positions, that’s worth $18 million per season, easily.
Even if he can’t or won’t move positions, I’d still re-sign him. The negatives can’t be ignored, but to me the positives outweigh the negatives and $18 million isn’t going to hamstring the budget of any MLB team, let alone the New York Yankees.
Did I miss something? Let me know in the comments, or yell at me on the “My Baseball Page” on Facebook.
Recommended reading: “The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City” by Kevin Baker. I’ve skimmed through this but haven’t sat down with it yet – it does look looks fantastic, though.
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