Yankees Homegrown All-Star Predicted To Cut Ties With New York; Fits With Royals
The Kansas City Royals got their first taste of October in almost a decade this season. In 2025, though, the goal should be to play up until the beginning of November.
For as exciting a season as the Royals had, there were some flaws that desperately need correction if Kansas City wants to improve on their success. A few spots in the lineup were gaping holes, and second base was one of the most obvious ones.
Michael Massey had a decent start to the season, but by the playoffs, he and Maikel Garcia were about as punchless a second-base tandem as one could imagine. The Royals need a much better double-play partner for superstar Bobby Witt Jr., and they might gatch a glimpse of him on Wednesday night in the World Series.
New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres is the ideal Royals candidate available this winter. Torres was recently named the number-one free-agent second baseman by Justin Leger of NBC Sports Boston, who predicted that the two-time All-Star would leave New York for a better contract.
"Torres' contract year wasn't going well until the Yankees put him in the leadoff spot on August 16. Since then, he has hit .313 with a .840 OPS," Leger said.
"That red-hot stretch undoubtedly has boosted his stock heading into the offseason and could make it difficult for the Yankees to keep him, especially if they break the bank to bring back star outfielder Juan Soto. Torres will be the most coveted second baseman on the market if New York moves on from him after seven years."
Torres, 27, was an All-Star in both 2018 and 2019, but has been criticized for his inconsistency at times in the years since. He's still got far more pop than the average big-league second baseman, though, and has a career 112 OPS+ to this point.
As long as it costs $50 million or less, the Royals should jump at the chance to grab Torres and add him to their core lineup moving forward. There's every chance the former All-Star could escape the Bronx and rediscover his star talent, and joining forces with Witt and the Royals would be a perfect fit.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org