Brian Cashman all but announces Gleyber Torres' departure (and hints at Yankees' 2B)

Typically, New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman is coy when approached about his pending free agents, especially this early in the offseason. But, when it comes to Gleyber Torres, he seemed ready to talk -- and get one final dig in on the way out.

Torres was not extended the $21 million qualifying offer this week, which means any team that signs him will not have to surrender draft pick compensation to the Yankees as part of the deal. Clearly, Cashman and Co. were worried that Torres, who loved the Bronx and mostly served the Yankees well, would clog up their payroll by taking the one-year deal.

It's going to take every ounce of the Yankees' cash to sign Juan Soto long-term, or even compete for him, so Cashman seems prepared to cut his losses in certain areas, "August-through-October-in-the-leadoff-spot" be damned.

And so, when approached, he gave far from a ringing endorsement of Torres, instead stating, "I'm not gonna dissect what he's good at and not as good at," while touting either a Jazz Chisholm position switch back to his old stomping grounds or the promotion of prospect Caleb Durbin in his place.

Yankees' Gleyber Torres seems likely to give way to rookie like Caleb Durbin at second base

If the Yankees are going to make room for Soto -- while keeping Gerrit Cole's $36 million in the rotation -- they're going to opt into going young at several key positions. They've made that perfectly clear. Jasson Dominguez will get a chance. Ben Rice will, too. Add Durbin into that mix, who's currently in the midst of a blitzing run at taking down the Arizona Fall League stolen base record while showing off a bit of pop in the showcase league (four blasts, .421 OBP, .521 slugging percentage).

We can't hide the fact that Durbin has long been a fan favorite here, but it's certainly risky to enter 2025 -- another year in Aaron Judge and Cole's waning prime -- with so many key positions manned by inexperienced players. But it's not our view that's important; it's Hal Steinbrenner's. He watched the Dodgers dominate with depth, but still doesn't believe a $300 million payroll is necessary to win the World Series.

He may be right, but it certainly seems necessary here, especially with so much of the money already spent on aging stars. Torres will not be one of them.