Yankees Extend Qualifying Offer to Juan Soto, Surprisingly Omit Gleyber Torres

The New York Yankees had until 5 p.m. ET on Monday to extend qualifying offers to their pending free agents.
Sep 12, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) congratulated New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) for hitting a home run against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Sep 12, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) congratulated New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) for hitting a home run against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
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Only 13 players across Major League Baseball received the record-setting $21.05 million qualifying offer before Monday’s 5 p.m. ET deadline, with only one coming from the New York Yankees.

Unsurprisingly, the recipient is none other than superstar outfielder Juan Soto, who has until 4 p.m. ET on November 19 to make his decision on the offer—one he is almost certain to decline. 

After belting 41 home runs and posting a stellar .988 OPS in pinstripes, the 26-year-old slugger is on the brink of a lucrative, historic payday this offseason. If he ultimately signs elsewhere, the Yankees would secure a compensatory draft pick in return.

The Yankees’ other viable candidate for the qualifying offer was second baseman Gleyber Torres. However, the club chose not to extend the offer. Unlike Soto, Torres might have considered accepting the offer, though only 13 of the previous 131 players who have been eligible since the system’s inception in 2012 have done so.

Torres, 27, had a sluggish start to the 2024 season, but after making adjustments during the All-Star break, he slashed .293/.361/.419 over 61 games in the second half. He reclaimed the leadoff spot in August and became an effective table-setter for Soto and Aaron Judge during the postseason, posting a .744 OPS over 14 games. However, he cooled off in the World Series, going 3-for-21 (.143) with a double, a homer, three walks, and three RBIs.

Given that his overall performance fell short of his 2023 numbers, Torres may have considered using his second-half surge to re-establish his value ahead of free agency next year. But with Soto’s impending free agency and New York’s already high competitive balance tax, the Yankees opted against that risk.

If Torres signs elsewhere, the Yankees will not receive any compensation. They could easily move Jazz Chisholm Jr. from third base back to his natural second base position if that happens, but that would create another gap to fill at the hot corner.


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John Sparaco
JOHN SPARACO

John Sparaco is a contributing writer for the Yankees and Mets websites On SI. He has previously written for Cold Front Report, Times Union and JKR Baseball, where he profiled some of the top recruits, college players and draft prospects in baseball. You can follow him on Twitter/X: @JohnSparaco