2019 Yankees fan favorite makes unexpected comparison to defend Gleyber Torres

The New York Yankees appeared to make a decision regarding Gleyber Torres' future with the team well before his departure at the end of the 2024 season. Perhaps they finalized their opinion around the time they shopped him at the 2022 trade deadline and failed to pull the trigger.

Maybe it happened slightly later, after that situation calcified, or far earlier, and they only managed to push the conversation forward when opportunity struck. Regardless, Torres is a (short-term?) Tiger now, and Pablo López is far likelier to be on a future Yankees roster than the ex-Yankee who was almost dealt for him (before the Yanks, we're told by Jon Heyman, backed out).

The defense was inconsistent (to be generous). The offense looked better in the leadoff spot than anywhere else last season, but never again approached its 2019 peak. There were plenty of reasons for the Yankees to move on, though someone who was only in pinstrpes for that 2019 heater might disagree.

Cameron Maybin, a 2019 Yankees "next man up" who did his job and more that summer, weighed into the debate after Torres went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI in a noteworthy win over the streaking San Diego Padres. In response to Torres' interview about "betting on himself" in this crazy "business" we call baseball, Maybin compared Torres' lack of respect on the way out the door in the Bronx to another departure from his era: Didi Gregorius.

Former Yankees outfielder Cameron Maybin draws parallel between Gleyber Torres and Didi Gregorius' departure

The similarities between the two exits mainly center around the lack of back-and-forth; the Yankees knew what they were doing when the closing bell rang with both players, and allowed them to drift off.

As far as the fans are concerned, though, Gregorius was universally loved when he departed — and, sadly, the Yankees were proven correct not to bet on him long-term, as he was never again a 2.0-WAR player after changing uniforms and currently plays in Dubai. Torres? The fans who loved him loved him, but we don't blame him if he heard the doubters a little louder.

Torres is still in the early stages of his post-Yankee life, and his first forays into a new baseball city have gone swimmingly, save for an early-season muscle injury. The Yankees may eventually grow to regret their decision, but given the finality of the end-of-year call, it's more likely their main regret is that they didn't cut the cord sooner back in 2022.