3 Gleyber Torres trades Yankees could pursue

The Yankees could move off of Gleyber Torres this winter in a trade.

Let’s make one thing clear here. Personally, we would rather keep Gleyber Torres in place and re-sign DJ LeMahieu as his partner than gamble with a Torres trade and hope to eventually ink a big-time shortstop next offseason.

This is largely because, well, Gleyber Torres is a big-time shortstop, and we shouldn’t be dissuaded by some second-rate defense or pre-glasses struggles in a 60-game season.

But there’s a chance the Yankees feel differently, and the “trade Gleyber, sign Lindor/Story/Baez/Correa/Seager” buzz has gotten a bit louder in recent days as the world tries to reckon with the ramifications of a potential LeMahieu return.

Not rumblings of reality, but more so people just…thinking out loud. Thinking a lot.

So, what would a Torres trade really look like, at this point? He’s only 23 years old, and he’s got two years of elite production, including a 38-homer 2019 season. He’s also never hit below .280 in a playoff series. I would urge hypothetical traders to consider all their options here, but if Torres really does hit the trade block, there would be some truly elite pieces on the other side of things.

We’d hold our nose and consider these three trades.

3. Gleyber Torres to the Reds for Luis Castillo

Gleyber Torres could be the Yankees’ centerpiece in a Luis Castillo trade.

Truly, Torres is the only thing the Yankees have to offer that could overwhelm Cincinnati into a Luis Castillo trade — and he’s such a monster trade piece that it could be the Reds who would have to tack on a little something (No. 14 catching prospect Jackson Miller? We need catchers…).

It’s not mystifying, but Castillo appears to be the only thing bolted down in Cincy these days, as the epic sell-off continues with Sonny Gray in the coming days. He’s a bonafide young ace who would’ve been a core candidate for Brian Cashman to poach a few years ago, before he found his footing and the Reds became NL Central contenders.

Now, the only way you’re opening that door back up is by dangling Torres.

Castillo is entering his age-28 season with three years of control still under his belt, and comes off a 137 ERA+ in 2019, followed by a ridiculous 148 mark in the shortened 2020. In his most recent full season, he used his devastating changeup to strike out 226 men in 190.2 innings. Serving as the third head in a three-pronged Trevor Bauer/Gray/Castillo rotation this past year, he’s uniquely suited to be the fire-breathing No. 2 starter behind Gerrit Cole and ahead of Luis Severino in the Bronx.

Seems unlikely, but you simply don’t know until you offer.