Yankees Rumors: Tigers ridiculously ask for Gleyber Torres

It’s no secret that the Yankees are in the market for a starting pitcher, but when the Tigers say they want Gleyber Torres in return for left-hander Matthew Boyd, it’s time to pump the brakes.

While you can’t blame a team for asking, I can only imagine how quickly Yankees general manager Brian Cashman hung up on the Detroit Tigers when they asked for Gleyber Torres in return for left-handed pitcher Matthew Boyd.

Perhaps, requesting the Yanks’ stud 22-year-old infielder was just the Tigers’ way of beginning negotiations, but according to George A. King III of the New York Post, that’s how high Tigers GM Al Avila values Boyd, who is club-controlled through 2022.

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"Nevertheless, Steinbrenner is more concerned about what acquiring a pitcher would cost in young talent. Already the Tigers asked for stud second baseman Gleyber Torres for lefty Matthew Boyd."

While Boyd may be a “quality” starter, he’s 28 and is just now showing the quality of a legit major league pitcher. After spending parts of five seasons, first with the Blue Jays and now the Tigers, Boyd is 5-6 with a 3.72 ERA, 1.093 WHIP and 129:20 K:BB ratio across 101.2 innings.

Sure, Boyd may be a late bloomer; however, there’s always the chance this is merely a career-year — one in which he goes back to being a back-end of the rotation type pitcher, featuring his career 4.82 ERA, 9.0 H/9 and 96 home runs allowed.

Those long balls surrendered are still an issue this season, as Boyd has already allowed 17 (1.5 HR/9). Adding a pitcher with a propensity for giving up four-baggers in Yankee Stadium is always a red flag.

Though Boyd has a real shot of being selected to his first All-Star team, Gleyber Torres should be on his way to his second Mid-Summer Classic in two seasons (he missed last year’s game due to a hip strain).

Slashing .291/.354/.549 with 51 runs, 14 doubles, 19 home runs and 47 RBIs, Torres has been an integral part of the first place Yankees and will likely exceed the stats he put up during his stellar 2018 rookie campaign.

Quite simply, Torres isn’t the type of player you trade. Sure, everyone wants him, but he’s a Yankee, and isn’t going anywhere (at least through 2024). Have the Tigers come back to the table with a more realistic alternative.