Gleyber Torres knows why the Yankees haven't started contract talks

MLB

by Greg Joyce

TAMPA — Gleyber Torres gets it.

The second baseman reiterated Wednesday that he “wants to be a Yankee for life.”

But while he begins his final season before hitting free agency, he and the Yankees have yet to engage in any talks about a contract extension.

And while Torres said he's open to doing that before the regular season, he doesn't seem to see it happening.

“I don't blame [GM Brian Cashman]And I don't blame the organization either [for not] “We're talking about extensions,” Torres said Wednesday morning. “Unfortunately, in the last couple of years, we've had some extensions like [Luis Severino] And [Aaron Hicks] Unfortunately, they were injured. As a team and as a business plan, it is not [great] Deal for extension and injury.

Torres also noted that the Yankees did not extend Aaron Judge (although they did offer him one, albeit at a much lower salary than what he eventually got from them in free agency).

“Maybe they'll wait until the postseason [to have] “Really good conversations,” said Torres, who is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. “I can control what I can control and try to play better this year. I prove myself and prove to the team that I can play better and better every year. Let's wait and see what happens after the season.”

Cashman confirmed last week that he had not had any extension talks with Torres and called him “our second baseman for the year.”

Torres is just one of the Yankees' impact players entering a career year, along with Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo and Clay Holmes.

The uncertainty isn't exactly new for the 27-year-old who has been a popular name in trade talks over the past few seasons and trade deadlines.

Having been through these experiences, Torres may be well-suited and mature enough to handle the pressures of a contract year.

“I think he's very excited,” manager Aaron Boone said. “I think we saw a more mature approach last year that led to more consistency at the plate. Now it's about putting it all together. … That's a pretty big carrot.”

Torres still has room to grow into a complete player, with Boone saying he believes he can do more defensively.

He registered fewer than four defensive runs saved last season, which was tied for the seventh-worst mark among the 27 starters who played at least 500 innings.

It's part of the reason Torres posted the 13th-highest fWAR (3.2) among all second basemen last year.

Offensively, though, Torres was perhaps the Yankees' most consistent hitter all year. He avoided some of the peaks and valleys he experienced in other seasons, batting .273 with an .800 OPS in 158 games.

Coming into this season, Boone believes Torres has been “brushed under the rug a little bit” when talking about the Yankees' lineup.

There's been a lot of talk about the Aaron Judge-Juan Soto tandem, the addition of Alex Verdugo and potential bounce-back years from DJ LeMahieu, Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo.

“I suspect [Torres] “He's a guy that maybe some people don't talk about enough, what he could be as one of those key pieces in the middle of the system,” Boone said. “Glieber is that guy in the middle who can really, hopefully, clean up a lot of traffic on the bases.”

And while Torres seems to have a strong perspective entering such a critical season for himself and the team, he is also realistic.

He admitted that the thought had at least crossed his mind that he could enter his final season with the organization that traded for him as a prospect in 2016.

“I can't lie: Yes, sometimes I think this will be my last year because I don't know what the plan is for next year,” Torres said. “But man, this is just motivation for myself. We play for another team sometimes. It's a business. I don't know what the plan is next year for the Yankees or for me. I can just control the game better and get ready for next year.”