Another pivotal offseason for the New York Yankees, eh? Feels like we've been saying that for five years because ... tha'ts how it's always seemed to shake out! Last offseason/trade deadline felt like the most important one with Juan Soto in the fold for only one guaranteed year.
But that came and went. The Yankees technically "improved" by getting to the World Series, but the same old problems persisted and got them eliminated in just five games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. And now with Soto exploring free agency and New York facing competition, this roster could very easily revert back to the playoff-less group it was in 2023.
Do we think that'll be the case? Not necessarily. But all it'll take is a few missteps, which is something Brian Cashman's front office is accustomed to at this point, especially when it comes to trades and letting players who have overstayed their welcomes linger.
The Yankees have a chance to revamp their look for 2025, but they really need to make sure that they get rid of the necessary players in order to upgrade. And these won't even take aggressive moves to make it happen. All of these players are free agents, and the nicest way to put it is that their time has come and gone. Something new should be on the horizon.
5 reunions the Yankees absolutely cannot pursue during 2024-25 offseason
Gleyber Torres
Despite five straight (largely) underwhelming seasons from Gleyber Torres, there remains a contingent of Yankees fans hell bent on assuring the rest of the world that he's the team's franchise second baseman. Some even suggested trying to sign him to a lengthy contract extension at a favorable price when he was struggling earlier in the year.
But Torres is frequently struggling. The Yankees could have made that happen at any point since the start of 2020. And though Torres was a savior for the offense over the last two months of the 2024 season after being inserted as the leadoff hitter, that shouldn't fool the team into keeping him around.
Torres' power has continued to fluctuate drastically. He had nine homers in 2021, followed by 24 and 25 in 2022 and 2023 and then 15 this past year. In 2024, he was a league average hitter, logging a 101 OPS+. He led all second baseman in MLB with 18 errors. He made far too many outs on the bases.
There's no doubt that he's a talented player, but he has not been able to put it all together since 2019. Since then, the Yankees have dangled him in trade talks multiple times to no avail and instead opted to stick with him despite the results not favoring what they needed out of a player of his caliber.
Now that he's free to leave and wasn't given the qualifying offer, the Yankees need to find a new second baseman. Whether that's shifting Jazz Chisholm over to the position or exploring a new option, it doesn't matter. Torres' time is up and the Yankees waited years to finally act on a parting of the ways that's been in the making since 2020.