Yankees Have 'No Plans' To Bring Back Free Agent Infielders, Per Insider

The right side of the Yankees' infield could look much different in 2025.

May 4, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (48) celebrates with second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) after hitting a three run home run in the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

It appears the right side of the New York Yankees’ infield will look much different in 2025.

During Monday night’s Hot Stove Show on YES Network, insider Jack Curry reported that the Yankees have “no plans” to pursue first baseman Anthony Rizzo or second baseman Gleyber Torres after letting both enter free agency.

New York declined Rizzo’s $17 million player option in November, opting to pay a $6 million buyout and release him from the third and final year of his contract. The 35-year-old former All-Star posted a .637 OPS over 92 games in 2024.

Excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Rizzo had played at least 130 games every year from 2013 to 2022. But in the past two seasons, injuries limited him to fewer than 100 games.

After a strong start to 2023, concussion-like symptoms from a collision with San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. led to a brutal two-month slump, culminating in a season-ending IL stint. In 99 games, he recorded a .706 OPS.

In 2024, Rizzo faced another long absence after suffering a fractured right forearm in a collision with Boston Red Sox pitcher Brennan Bernardino, sidelining him from mid-June through August. Fractured fingers also hindered him during the postseason, and he did not hit a home run over the final few months of the season.

At first base, the Yankees’ current depth includes utility man Oswaldo Cabrera and Ben Rice, who hit .171/.264/.349 with seven home runs in 50 games as a rookie. This could prompt the Yankees to look outside the organization for a replacement.

They have been linked to top free agents Pete Alonso and Christian Walker, as well as Cody Bellinger on the trade market. With slugging corner infielder Munetaka Murakami set to play his final season in Japan before joining MLB next offseason, another option could be to target a temporary veteran stopgap like Paul Goldschmidt or Carlos Santana, before making a more aggressive move in 2025.

As for second base, the Yankees declined to extend the $21.05 million qualifying offer to Torres this offseason, meaning they will not receive any compensation if he signs elsewhere. The 27-year-old has played seven seasons in New York.

Torres has been relatively inconsistent during his time in the Bronx. The former top prospect made All-Star appearances in his first two seasons, belting a career-high 38 home runs in 2019. However, his slugging percentage dipped from .535 to consecutive seasons under .370, before rebounding to a respectable .450 range in 2022 and 2023. In 2024, however, it fell to .378.

Torres got off to a slow start in 2024 but made adjustments during the All-Star break, which led to a .293/.361/.419 slash line over 61 games in the second half. He reclaimed the leadoff spot in August and became an effective table-setter for Juan Soto and Aaron Judge in the postseason, posting a .744 OPS over 14 games.

Aside from potentially shifting Jazz Chisholm Jr. from third base to second, the Yankees have limited options to replace Torres, especially on the free-agent market. However, the Yankees appear to be very high on infield prospect Caleb Durbin, with Curry willing to bet that Durbin will make the club’s Opening Day roster in 2025.

Durbin, 24, has quietly climbed the ranks in the Yankees' farm system and recently earned a spot on the 40-man roster after an impressive showing in the Arizona Fall League. He batted .312/.427/.548 with five homers in 24 AFL games, while his 29 stolen bases shattered the previous record of 24, set by Rick Holifield in 1994, when the Fall League schedule was nearly twice as long as it is now.

In 82 games at Triple-A, Durbin slashed .287/.396/.471 with 10 home runs, 60 RBIs, and 29 stolen bases. The 5-foot-6 infielder has yet to make his big-league debut, but his baserunning ability and glove-first mentality make him a stark contrast to Torres, who had the sixth-worst BsR in MLB this past season and has been prone to defensive miscues throughout his career.

“I think he’s a stud, frankly,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone told MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch in November. “Great bat-to-ball [skills], elite ability on the bases as a base stealer, a good defender in the middle of the diamond at second base. He’s really started, over the last year-plus, to create some position flexibility, too. … Really competitive, kind of that hard-nosed, tough player. I’m excited for him. I think he’s going to play a big role for us this upcoming season.”