Now with the Tigers, Gleyber Torres avoided taking too big of a bite into Yankees general manager Brian Cashman’s comments Thursday that he had been “unwilling” to shift to third base last season.
“Still ? 😴😂 just turn 🗒️,” Torres tweeted Thursday night.
To understand this semi-beef requires a trip back to July when the Yankees acquired a second baseman, Jazz Chisholm Jr., when they already had a second baseman on the roster in Torres.
Obviously, one of the two would have to shift their positions and Torres made it clear that he expected he would be the one to stay put.
“Yeah, I’m a second baseman. I play second,” Torres said at the time.
Torres added that he would be “ready for anything” and Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he believed the infielder would “be open” to a possible move, but Cashman had a different take Thursday.
When addressing where Chisholm will play this upcoming season, the Yankees’ general manager said he wanted Torres to be the one that shifted positions.
‘When I acquired Jazz, I acquired Jazz to be our second baseman and move Gleyber to third the rest of last year,” Cashman said on Yes Network. “Boonie wanted to do it the other way. He moved Jazz to third after we got him and kept Gleyber at second because Gleyber didn’t want to move to third, he was unwilling. Jazz would up getting baptized at a position he had never played, played it well enough and now gives us a little more flexibility entering the ’25 year.”
The Yankees don’t have anyone of Torres’ caliber to compete with Chisholm Jr. at second base this year, but Cashman did not close the door on Chisholm Jr. staying at third base.
Internal options like DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Vivas all should be in the mix, although a trade — No. 6 starter Marcus Stroman is available — could be made.
Cashman said that the team could be “switching back and forth” at the hot corner, mentioning a platoon may be employed.
“I don’t know which way we’re going between Jazz at third, Jazz at second, Jazz, depending on who’s on the mound — obviously between Peraza, Cabrera, DJ LeMahieu, Vivas, we’re going to have some guys taking some reps trying to earn a spot, whether it’s at second or third,” Cashman said.
“The flexibility that the athleticism of Jazz provides gives us the ample opportunity to play it out.”
The Yankees can play Chisholm Jr. at second base after letting Torres walk this offseason not offering him the qualifying offer, which cleared the path for him to join the Tigers on a one-year, $15 million deal.
Torres slashed .265/.334/.441 with a .774 OPS across his seven season in The Bronx after being acquired in a trade from the Cubs, never quite living up to the potential he showed in his first two seasons.
Chisholm hit .273 with an .825 OPS, while swatting 11 homers and driving in 23 runs, spanning 46 games after his midseason acquisition from the Marlins last year.
