Second baseman Gleyber Torres played for the New York Yankees for the past seven seasons, experiencing varying degrees of success and failure. Torres will face the uncertainties of free agency this offseason, realizing he is not a top priority for the Yankees. Their undivided attention will be on re-signing outfielder Juan Soto to a long-term contract in a bidding war that could exceed $600 million. In what could be his final days wearing the venerable pinstripes, Torres must focus on finding postseason success while increasing his value as a rising free agent. A departure from the Bronx after experiencing World Series glory will create a lifetime of adoration for fans who want to remember Torres as a key contributor to a championship-winning ball club.

Last season, the value of Major League Baseball’s qualifying offer for a one-year contract was $20.325 million, based on the average salary of the sport’s 125 highest-paid ballplayers. Don’t be surprised if $21 million is the new contract value of the qualifying offer given the salary escalation for the 2024 season. If Soto hasn’t agreed to a contract extension yet, you can assume he’ll be the Yankees’ lone free agent who receives a qualifying offer and quickly rejects it. He should receive a qualifying offer within five days of the end of the World Series. If Soto leaves via free agency after receiving and rejecting a qualifying offer, the Yankees will receive compensation in the form of a 2025 draft pick after the fourth round, as they are expected to will be a Competitive Balance Tax payer.

The temptation to accept a one-year deal worth potentially $21 million would be far too great for Torres considering another mediocre season in which he earned $14.2 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Based on data collected using FanGraphs, Torres is a defensive handicap and has regressed since showing signs of improvement during the 2022 season. There were 13 second basemen who had played at least 1,000 innings at the position last season. In terms of Defensive Points Saved (DRS), Torres posted a -11 DRS. Only Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros fared worse in this statistical category among the 13 second basemen with a -13 DRS.

Torres’ defensive shortcomings during his age-27 season were also evident in the Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) metric. His -6.7 UZR was the worst among Baker’s dozens of second basemen, according to FanGraphs. In 5,313.1 innings at second base over his Major League career, Torres has posted a -14 DRS and -16.7 UZR. During the 2018-2024 seasons, there have only been seven second basemen to play more than 5,000 innings at the position and Torres has the worst UZR among the septet of ballplayers. His 62 errors are the most at the position in the last seven seasons.

The Yankees’ acquisition of Jazz Chisholm, Jr. of the Miami Marlins in midseason takes on greater significance not only because of his versatility, but also as a ballplayer who made $2.625 million on a one-year contract in his first year of arbitration eligibility under Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Defensive positioning has been a point of criticism for the Yankees, as it is most evident at second base. Based on DRS and UZR defensive stats, Chisholm Jr.’s best position is second base thanks to a 7 DRS and -2.2 UZR over 1,330.1 innings according to FanGraphs. The Yankees experimented with Chisholm Jr. out of necessity. at third base, where he produced a -2 DRS and -0.4 UZR over 400.1 innings. Torres will be expendable this season due to two seasons in which Chisholm Jr. eligible for arbitration and a defensive upgrade at second base.

Defensive issues, mental judgment errors and occasional lack of effort have infuriated fans and management alike during Torres’ time in the Bronx. However, there always seems to be a redeeming quality that saves Torres from the barrage of criticism. Whether it’s the potential to be a difference-maker in a key situation or glimpses of being a two-time all-star in the American League prior to his age-23 season, Torres is more of an enigma than a tough player at a crucial moment in his career.

Torres demonstrated value during the regular season while batting first in the lineup. In 56 ball games batting first for the Yankees, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge hit 54 times directly behind Torres. Overall, Torres posted a .755 on-base plus slugging (OPS) while batting first in the lineup as the Yankees posted a 34–22 record. According to Baseball-Reference, the Major League average in terms of OPS when hitting first in the lineup was .739 OPS for the 2024 regular season.

An argument can be made that Torres may have hit a plateau as a ballplayer as the Yankees try to stick to a stricter budget policy aside from their pursuit of Soto. They will fight the urge to overpay based on emotion and use utility ball player DJ LeMahieu’s six-year, $90 million contract as a warning sign when it comes to Torres’ impending free agency. When LeMahieu re-signed with the Yankees in January 2021, he had just won his second batting title and finished third in the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award, voting for performance during his age-31 season. Unfortunately, LeMahieu has struggled with injuries and a steep decline in performance while still being owed $30 million over the next two seasons, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts.

Gleyber Torres’ value to the New York Yankees this postseason starts with being an offensive catalyst at the top of the lineup while minimizing mental errors and errors in defensive judgment at second base. By showing patience in the batter’s box and creating chaos on the basepaths, Torres will increase a pitcher’s stress level with the looming presence of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge behind him. Torres is unlikely to return to the Yankees next season based on performance and desired compensation. However, Torres can create a heroic legacy with a final postseason in pinstripes full of moments of brilliance that lead to world championship glory.