Former Yankees' All-Star Second Baseman Generating Interest From These Two Clubs

This former Yankee stud are being courted by two teams - one in each league.

Oct 30, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) breaks his bat on a ground out during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game five of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

One of the New York Yankees' former stars is looking for a home this offseason.

Second baseman Gleyber Torres, who had spent the first seven seasons of his career in the Bronx, is considered unlikely to return to the Yankees for 2025; he is considered arguably the best second baseman available in free agency. While there have been a few teams to show interest in his services, the soon-to-be 28-year-old's market has progressed rather slowly.

But according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Torres's market is starting to heat up with two teams showing interest in him: the Los Angeles Angels and Washington Nationals.

https://t.co/43No2A8ZyB Angels and Nationals have shown interest in Gleyber Torres.

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) December 11, 2024

The Angels are in desperate need of production at second base, as all of their second basemen combined for a .590 OPS, 69 wRC+, and -2.2 fWAR; the wRC+ was the second worst in the majors behind only the Colorado Rockies, while the OPS and fWAR totals ranked dead last. Despite Torres having a down year by his standards (.257/.330/.378, 15 home runs, 104 wRC+, 1.7 fWAR), he would be a significant upgrade over the woefully-underperforming Brandon Drury (.169/.242/.228, four home runs in 97 games, 34 wRC+, -2.1 fWAR).

However, the Nationals' interest in Torres is a bit more complex. According to Sherman, Washington has inquired if the slugger would move to third base due to the presence of Luis Garcia Jr. at second base.

"Torres resisted a move to third base when the Yankees obtained Jazz Chisholm Jr. at the trade deadline," Sherman wrote. "But Torres could be more motivated to change spots now to improve his financial possibilities and because he would have an offseason to prepare for a position change. It also is conceivable that Washington could play Torres at second and see what the trade market is for Garcia, a lefty swinger who hit 18 homers and had a 112 OPS-plus last season."

Arguably the better course of action for the Nationals is to keep Torres at second base, as he struggled when the Yankees moved him to shortstop in 2020 and 2021; this led to a return to second and more consistent results.

Torres's Yankee tenure was productive overall, despite his inconsistency both offensively and defensively. Over his seven seasons, he hit .265/.334/.441 with 138 home runs, 441 RBI, 460 runs scored, a 113 wRC+, and 15.8 fWAR. His best performance came in 2019, when he hit 38 homers and submitted a .535 slugging percentage at the age of 22.

Other notable second basemen available in free agency include Brandon Lowe, Jorge Polanco, Whit Merrifield, and the aforementioned Brandon Drury, but Torres is the youngest of all these players and has the highest upside. With the Angels and Nationals expressing their interest, more teams should eventually begin to inquire on the 27-year-old, who turns 28 on December 13.