Longtime Yankees Infielder Could Solve Braves Shortstop Dilemma

With it looking like that he will hit the free agent market, the Atlanta Braves should consider this Yankees maintay for their shortstop upgrade

A once rookie phenom could be the Braves solution at shortstop / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Not sure how many times this can be stated without beating a dead horse, but the Atlanta Braves could use a new shortstop. Crazy take, I know. There are only so many ways to write that obvious point differently. 

But the potential options are still very much up for debate. The offseason is still young and there are plenty of names to trade or sign for. 

While Willy Adames and Bo Bichette have been tossed around a lot, let’s discuss another option. The New York Yankees are reportedly letting Gleyber Torres walk, opening the door for the Braves to check in on him. 

Look, he’s not coming off a great season - he slashed .257/.330/.378 with 15 home runs and 63 RBIs. He had a dip in his power last season, leading to the less-than-stellar numbers. 

But that could mean an opportunity for the Braves to bring him in on a cheaper deal than if he was hitting at his usual level. 

Over his career, Torres has a slash line of .265/.334/.441 with an average of 20 home runs and 63 home runs. But this average number of home runs is weighed down by the COVID-impacted seasons. Where he hit a combined 12 home runs over two seasons. 

He typically will give you around 25 home runs a year. 

Torres is not going to be the most exciting addition. While he’s a two-time All-Star, his last nod came in 2019, his second season. He’s typically viewed as a once-young phenom who never reached the heights he could have. 

But he’s still an above-average upgrade to the Braves lineup. He’s also a good fallback option. Adames could end up signing elsewhere. Bichette might stay put or end up traded elsewhere. I’ve mentioned Chicago Cubs Nico Hoerner, but it’s not clear if he will be on the move this offseason. 

On top of that, maybe Torres makes for a good bounce-back candidate once he’s out of the Bronx. 

ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote that “Torres is a prime change-of-scenery candidate after never living up to his early excellence.”

Wouldn’t be the first time the Braves were the team to fix somebody. 

Either way, a move needs to be made. Even with the acquisition of infielder Nick Allen from The Athletic, the Braves don’t have a true solution yet.