Former New York Yankees Infielder Discusses Why He Felt Dismissed by the Franchise

The New York Yankees have had a strong offseason so far, but one of the players they let walk feels he was dismissed by the franchise in negotiations.

New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres celebrates hitting a three-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers. | John Jones-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees have had a very strong offseason so far, bringing in players like Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, Max Fried, and Devin Williams among others to supplement their already strong roster. However, the recent news has been surrounding the players they let go, and specifically, infielder Gleyber Torres.

In recent weeks Torres has been discussing with the media how he felt the Yankees treated him, and why to an extent he felt disregarded or unwanted by the franchise. This discussion would continue into the middle of the week, where he would have an exclusive interview with Dan Martin of the New York Post (subscription required).

In this interview, Torres would say, "I feel I deserve to be with an organization that wants me, I’m here now and that’s the reason I’m here."

Then, when asked if he felt he was no longer wanted by New York, he said, "I don’t know. Maybe you can ask him." This being in regards to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman.

Torres would ultimately go on to sign with the Detroit Tigers this offseason on a one-year, $15 million deal. This gave him the opportunity for a larger role with a very young hitting core, rather than being in a smaller role with New York.

With the addition of Jazz Chisholm Jr. last season by the Yankees, they had an option at the second base position who had played it before and could fill the role of Torres if needed. Ultimately it seems that is the direction they will go in, with a projected infield of Goldschmidt, Chisholm Jr., Anthony Volpe, and Oswaldo Cabrera.

The loss of Torres this offseason is a weird one, as he played for the team for seven seasons and was a critical part of their offense for many years, while also being a solid defender early on. However, in the last two years his defense had fallen off a cliff, and his offensive production was beginning to stagnate a bit, which made him slightly more expendable to the pinstripes.

The biggest issue of the bunch was errors, as early in his career there were times when it was manageable, as he would only have single digit counts. However in 2023 he had 15, and in 2024 he had 18, both of which are MLB leading totals. His batting was showing decline as well, with a career high 136 strikeouts, a tie for his lowest batting average since 2020 with a .257, and his second lowest career OPS+ with a 101.

Letting go of him for leadership purposes was likely a tough decision, but when it came down to production, it may have been the right time to do so for New York.