While there has been talk that the New York Yankees will replace Gleyber Torres with a talent from outside the organization, a new report indicates that the front office prefers an internal candidate.
Gleyber Torres once appeared to be the next great Yankees player, but now seems like a distant memory. In 2018, he slugged 24 home runs as a rookie and won All-Star honors. Then, in 2019, he had an even stronger year, hitting 38 home runs and 90 RBIs in his second straight All-Star season to begin his career.
Things have changed dramatically since then. There were always flaws in Torres’ game. However, they might be overlooked given how much he brought to the plate from second base. However, during the offseason, his subpar defense and baserunning became a continuous source of frustration for Yankees fans.
That is why all indications point to the club releasing him in free agency this offseason. Given the team’s history, it was assumed that he would be replaced by an impact player from the free agent or trade markets. However, a fresh revelation indicates that the group is taking a very different way.
- Gleyber Torres stats (2024): .257 AVG, .330 OBP, .378 SLG, .709 OPS, 15 HR, 63RBI, 80 R
New York Yankees want to replace Gleyber Torres with prospect Caleb Durbin in 2025
“When asked about the Yankees’ ongoing fundamental issues, Brian Cashman admitted that part of the solution could be to acquire players who are more suited to playing a cleaner, more disciplined brand of baseball,” The Athletic Yankees reporter Chris Kirshner wrote on Thursday.
“That is where Caleb Durbin enters the picture.” Durbin is not ranked among the top Yankees prospects by The Athletic’s Keith Law or MLB Pipeline. But, internally, he’s regarded as one of the club’s most promising young players,” he explained.
Durbin was not even ranked among the team’s top 30 prospects on MLB.com at the end of the season. However, he has been performing admirably in the Arizona Fall League this year. During the minor league season, he had a slashline of.287/.396/.471. Most critically, he struck out less than 10% of the time.
Another reason the move is highly likely is that part owner Hal Steinbrenner is known to seek to reduce salaries whenever feasible. Replacing Torres’ $14 million salary with a guy earning the league minimum would be a significant boost. Especially if the organization has to pay a record sum to Juan Soto in free agency.
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