While there has been speculation the New York Yankees could replace Gleyber Torres with a player from outside the organization, a new report points to an internal option being the preferred direction of the front office.
It now seems like ages ago when Gleyber Torres looked like the next great Yankees player. He stormed on to the season in 2018 by slugging 24 home runs as a rookie and impressively earned All-Star honors during his debut season. Then he followed that up with an even better 2019 when he smashed 38 homers and 90 RBIs during a second straight All-Star campaign to start his career.
Things have changed greatly since then. There were always warts on Torres’ game. But they could be overlooked for how much he brought at the dish from second base. However, when he had off seasons his poor defense and bad base running became a constant annoyance for Yankees fans.
That is why all signs point to the club letting him walk in free agency this offseason. Considering the team’s history, the assumption has been that they would replace him with an impact player from the free agent or trade markets. But a new report claims the organization is going in a completely different direction.
- 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 issues with fundamentals, Brian Cashman admitted that part of the solution could involve acquiring players who are more suited to playing a cleaner more disciplined brand of baseball,” The Athletic Yankees reporter Chris Kirshner wrote on Thursday.
“That’s where Caleb Durbin enters the picture. Durbin is not listed among the top Yankees prospects by The Athletic’s Keith Law or on MLB Pipeline. But, internally, he’s considered one of the club’s most promising up-and-coming players,” he added.
Durbin wasn’t even ranked among the team’s top 30 prospects on MLB.com to end the season. However, he has been playing very well in the Arizona Fall League this year. And during the minor league season posted a slashline of .287/.396/.471. He also, most importantly, had a strikeout rate below 10 percent.
Furthermore, another reason the move is highly likely is because it is well known that part owner Hal Steinbrenner wants to lower payroll if possible. Replacing Torres’ $14 million with a player making the league minimum would be a big help. Especially if the organization has to fork over a historic amount to Juan Soto in free agency.