{"id":8257,"date":"2024-11-14T13:04:09","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T13:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=8257"},"modified":"2024-11-14T13:04:09","modified_gmt":"2024-11-14T13:04:09","slug":"how-yankees-juan-soto-pursuit-and-a-rising-prospect-impacts-gleyber-torres-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=8257","title":{"rendered":"How Yankees\u2019 Juan Soto pursuit and a rising prospect impacts Gleyber Torres\u2019 future"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

NEW YORK \u2014 Gleyber Torres is one of the most polarizing figures in recent memory for the New York Yankees.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s had some remarkable highs, including a breakout 2019 season when he blasted 38 home runs and dominated the Baltimore Orioles to such an extent that play-by-play announcer Gary Thorne suggested Torres should be walked intentionally every time he stepped to the plate. Torres also proved crucial in stabilizing the leadoff spot for the Yankees in 2024, playing a key role in their World Series push.<\/p>\n

But for every high, there have been significant lows. Torres was benched this year for a lack of hustle, struggled horrifically in a failed attempt at playing shortstop in 2021, and was often unreliable both as a defender and base runner throughout much of his Yankees tenure.<\/p>\n

His 2019 performance sparked lofty expectations, with many projecting him as a future superstar. In early 2020, FanGraphs\u2019 Dan Szymborski even predicted that Torres would likely finish his career with multiple 40-home run seasons. That prophecy, however, hasn\u2019t materialized. In fact, Torres has spent the past five seasons trying \u2014 and failing \u2014 to recapture the magic of 2019. He hasn\u2019t come close.<\/p>\n

And now Torres is a free agent for the first time as a major leaguer. It\u2019s expected the Yankees will move on and find a new second baseman.<\/p>\n

\u201cGleyber has been a really good major-league player, and one of the reasons we got as far as we did,\u201d Cashman said. \u201cI\u2019m not going to dissect what he\u2019s good at or what he\u2019s not as good at. He\u2019ll have a lot of conversations with teams who need a player like him. That could include us. Who knows?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure what the future holds, but I want to thank Gleyber for his time here without closing the door on a potential reunion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

How do you follow up setting the AFL single-season stolen base record?<\/p>\n

A three-hit performance, including this solo homer, was what the @Yankees’ Caleb Durbin opted for. pic.twitter.com\/AvXgaGBPjU<\/p>\n

\u2014 MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) November 12, 2024<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Cashman\u2019s comments thanking Torres while signaling the need for a second baseman are akin to Jeff Probst snuffing out a Survivor contestant\u2019s torch and telling them, \u201cThe tribe has spoken.\u201d It\u2019s a polite but clear acknowledgment that Torres\u2019 time in New York may be over.<\/p>\n

Yankees fans have grown increasingly frustrated over the years, particularly with the team\u2019s inconsistent fundamentals, and Torres has been a frequent target of their ire. In 2024, he was tied for the most outs at home plate and committed the most errors among all MLB second basemen.<\/p>\n

When asked about the Yankees\u2019 ongoing issues with fundamentals, Cashman admitted that part of the solution could involve acquiring players who are more suited to playing a cleaner, more disciplined brand of baseball.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where Caleb Durbin enters the picture. Durbin is not listed among the top Yankees prospects by\u00a0The Athletic<\/em>\u2019s Keith Law or on MLB Pipeline, but, internally, he\u2019s considered one of the club\u2019s most promising up-and-coming players.<\/p>\n

Entering Wednesday, Durbin had a 1.006 OPS with five home runs in the Arizona Fall League. Perhaps most impressive is that he\u2019s struck out only five times through 23 games. With Triple-A Scranton\/Wilkes-Barre, Durbin slashed .287\/.396\/.471 across 375 plate appearances, including 10 homers and 29 stolen bases. He also drew 47 walks and struck out 37 times, putting his strikeout rate below 10 percent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s a stud, frankly,\u201d Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Durbin. \u201cGreat bat-to-ball, elite ability on the bases as a base-stealer, good defender in the middle of the diamond at second base. He\u2019s really started over the last year-plus to create some position flexibility. He\u2019s played some short, he\u2019s played some third. We introduced him to some outfield this year, all with the mind that this guy is going to be a big-league player. His bat-to-ball skills have been evident in the last few years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s going to play a big role for us this upcoming season.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that role could be the Yankees\u2019 starting second baseman come Opening Day. Durbin was acquired by the Yankees from the Atlanta Braves in a trade for reliever Lucas Luetge, who pitched in 12 games for Atlanta and finished with a 7.24 ERA.<\/p>\n

\n

Caleb Durbin is in the @MLBazFallLeague record books with his 25th stolen base!\ud83c\udf35 pic.twitter.com\/DsvCsh3cEm<\/p>\n

\u2014 Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) November 12, 2024<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Yankees\u2019 approach to their roster construction for next season could carry some risk, especially with the possibility of having Durbin, Jasson Dom\u00ednguez (who could be the starting left fielder) and Ben Rice (a potential option at first base) all on the Opening Day roster. This could mean one-third of the lineup consists of unproven players, in addition to Anthony Volpe, whose OPS dipped in 2024 compared to his rookie season, and Austin Wells, entering his sophomore year.<\/p>\n

This underscores why the Yankees\u2019 offseason strategy can\u2019t be limited to re-signing Juan Soto and filling roster spots with untested talent. The team needs to address more pressing needs, such as acquiring a reliable first baseman, like Christian Walker. However, with owner Hal Steinbrenner publicly acknowledging that this season\u2019s payroll is unsustainable, it\u2019s likely the Yankees will need to add affordable talent to fill roster gaps. Torres made $14.2 million this season. Replacing him with Durbin, who would earn the league minimum, would give Steinbrenner greater financial flexibility, especially if he decides to re-sign Soto to a massive contract.<\/p>\n

Cashman mentioned Durbin twice, unprompted, at last week\u2019s GM meetings, possibly signaling the club\u2019s current direction at second base. Even before this past season, multiple high-ranking Yankees officials were already expressing confidence in Durbin\u2019s potential. It\u2019s looking increasingly likely that he could make his MLB debut in the coming year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s put himself in that conversation. Certainly always as a young player, you got to earn those opportunities,\u201d Boone said. \u201cWe\u2019ll see how the offseason unfolds. He\u2019s definitely in the mix as a guy that\u2019s definitely knocking on the door, especially having gone to Triple A now and had success.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Photo of Caleb Durbin: Norm Hall \/ MLB Photos via Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Chris Kirschner<\/strong> is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the New York Yankees. He previously covered the Atlanta Hawks from 2018-2022 for The Athletic. Chris was named Georgia’s Sportswriter of the Year in 2021 for his work covering the Hawks. Chris is a native of Bronx, NY. Follow Chris on Twitter @chriskirschner<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Caleb Durbin is not among the Yankees’ top prospects, but he has the tools and skillset to make an impact as early as Opening Day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":8258,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[40],"class_list":["post-8257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-new-york-yankees"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Yankees\u2019 Juan Soto pursuit and a rising prospect impacts Gleyber Torres\u2019 future - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=8257\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Yankees\u2019 Juan Soto pursuit and a rising prospect impacts Gleyber Torres\u2019 future - 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