Gleyber Torres made a surprising statement revealing that he was never contacted by the New York Yankees. After spending a long time playing as an infielder, he disclosed that the Yankees did not make any offers during his free agency. Torres expressed his willingness to play wherever he could contribute the most to the team.

Torres’ reunion with the Yankees was looking unlikely until it turned out to be true when he was signed by the Detroit Tigers on Friday. Gleyber started over his seven seasons with the Yankees, however, never managed to reach the heights. Despite a good performance hitting .278 and a career-high 38 home runs, a disappointing season followed by multiple ups and downs in his career with the Yankees.

Gleyber Torres left heartbroken after no contact by the Yankees

On December 29th, Gleyber Torres said to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, “After the World Series, I got a lot of phone calls from other teams and just focused on getting an opportunity in another place. I feel like I have to play where somebody wants to give the best for me, and I just want to be available to do the best for the team.” He was looking forward to the Yankees making a call, which, alas, didn’t happen.

Torres shared his proud feelings playing for the New York Yankees for seven years. He even highlighted that the team might have some other priorities, and he was not on their list, which ultimately led to signing with the Detroit Tigers.

Over the years, Gleyber Torres established himself as a major prospect and was considered as one of the best offensive middle infielders. However, other than a few good seasons with the Yankees in 2018 and 2019, he played below-average defense at the second base, slashing just .261/.332/.411 (109 wRC+). Although it might be okay for a big league regular, the Yankees surely expected more from their top prospect to post 123 wRC+ at least for the first two seasons.

Unfortunately, his lackluster 2024 season continued, leading the league in errors (18) and making just .257/.330/.378. This further propelled the Yankees to stop contacting him, and finally, he ditched them for the Detroit Tigers. The Yankees were unfortunately left with a gap in the second base, not having any replacement for Torres yet.

New York Yankees’ blockbuster trade idea to land the $154M superstar

Speculations are high about the New York Yankees trying to make a blockbuster signing with the $154 superstar Luis Arraez. After Torres made the split with them official, they were looking for a replacement and Luis seems to be the right man. Having Aaron Judge, Bellinger, Stanton, and Goldschmidt to make home runs, Arraez could be a great fit to the lineup.

San Diego Padres’ All-Star 27-year-old Luis Arraez posted a .323 batting average and a .364 base percentage in the lead-off spot, making him a perfect fit for the lineup. However, he is a terrible fielder at second base; thus, replacing Torres with him might get unusual with the infield defense going down as well.

Signing Paul Goldschmidt as the first baseman has made it easier for the New York Yankees to balance the lineup properly. There are rumours that they are planning to get Nolan Arenado on board, who is a close friend of Paul. Paul’s signing could have a significant influence on Nolan, pushing him to waive the no-trade clause and be available in the free agency. The Yankees do have Jazz Chisholm Jr., who is currently playing third base, however, his actual position is second base.

In case they can get Arenado in their team, Jazz Chisholm Jr. could shift to the original second base position. It would allow the Yankees to shift Jazz to his actual second base position, which was vacant after Gleyber Torres’ departure. They have also signed the left-hander Max Fried after losing Juan Soto. However, the presence of these veteran players could definitely boost the lineup and help the Yankees achieve new heights of success. What options do you think the Yankees would consider in the upcoming season?