Should New York Yankees Extend This All-Star?

Should the New York Yankees extend this All-Star infielder?

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

In his six seasons, second baseman Gleyber Torres has been through a rollercoaster ride with the New York Yankees. 

With his contract set to expire this offseason and the organization in need of some major roster shifts, general manager Brian Cashman has a big decision to make when it comes to the 26-year-old Torres. 

How much is Torres worth? Can he be a part of the Yankee core going forward?

Torres has seen the highs and lows of professional baseball since being traded from the Chicago Cubs to New York in 2016. The uber-talented 19-year-old Torres was traded along with Billy McKinney, Adam Warren and Rashad Crawford for controversial New York closer Aroldis Chapman as the lefty began to lose favor in the Bronx.

Only a year later, Torres was the youngest player in the Arizona Fall League, and that same year, became the youngest ever MVP of the league. As a result, Torres was named the number one prospect in the organization and the fifth best prospect in all of baseball.

However, a Tommy John surgery in 2017 sidelined Torres for a big season in his development with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Despite this, the Yankees moved up their top prospect to the majors at the ripe age of 20, originally as a shortstop.

Torres’ debut came in April of 2018, and in his first two years, he showed everyone why he was the top shortstop prospect in baseball.

He hit 62 home runs and logged 167 RBI in his first two seasons with his peak coming in 2018 (38 Home Runs, 90 RBI, .871 OPS). Torres was a two-time all-star in that span and was quickly emerging as a perennial top infielder in baseball before he ran into some injuries and struggles in his 2020 and 2021 campaigns. In that two-season span, Torres combined for just 12 Home Runs for 67 RBI in 169 at-bats.

Since he’s returned from injury, Torres has started to find his footing again, smacking 24 home runs for 76 RBI and recording a career-high WAR of 4.1 in 2022. He’s followed it up with a 23 home run, 57 RBI campaign so far in 2023 and has gotten his batting average back up around the .270 mark, emerging as one of the most consistent contributors for a Yankees roster that has been in need of it.

In August alone, Torres is batting .327 with seven home runs and 13 RBI and has an OPS of 1.008, and without a doubt, has earned the respect of the clubhouse. Yankee ace Gerrit Cole spoke on Torres’ 2023 season after New York’s second win against the Detroit Tigers Wednesday.

“He’s had a really good year… maybe not so sneaky,” Cole said. “He’s one of the best offensive second basemen every year and he’s putting up great numbers for us. He’s a really special player.”

Torres said the key to his consistency this year has been “sticking to the plan.”

“I follow my plan before the game,” Torres said. “I stick to my routine every day and, when I go to the plate, I try to do the little things.”

The hope for New York is that Torres has returned to his 2018-2019 form at the plate and his worst days in regards to injuries and underperformance are over. A big decision has to be made this offseason by Cashman as Torres’ contract is set to expire.

In terms of what Torres could command this year, you would have to look at comparable second basemen in the league. Marcus Semien drew a seven-year, $175 million deal with the Texas Rangers. Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros is making $23 million per season. It is expected that Torres could receive a contract in the range of $20 million per year on a long-term deal. Is Torres worth that investment for Cashman?

In the end, Torres is one of the best at the position in the league and losing him would mean losing a 26-year-old consistent hitter when healthy, something the organization needs more of. With a new contract, core pieces in Aaron Judge and Anthony Volpe, a solid starting rotation and a couple offseason additions around him, Torres will hopefully help the pinstripes get back in the World Series title picture.