Did Gleyber Torres hint at Yankees fan favorite's return in Instagram story?

Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres might want to be careful what he wishes for.

The signing of Marcus Stroman (and quieter signing of Luke Weaver) seem to have cinched up the team's rotaton, as Brian Cashman waits for Blake Snell's rumored absurd price to come down. Of course, Cashman wouldn't hate obtaining some controllable young pitching to ease the comeback burden on Carlos Rodón and Nestor Cortes Jr.

If all five Yankees starters hit their projections for 162 games, this team will be in phenomenal shape. But if a few of their high-risk options go down -- and of course they will -- it would be nice to have four or five years of control of a younger arm in the No. 5 spot. The Marlins have long been connected to the Yankees, dangling high-velocity righty Edward Cabrera, lefty Braxton Garrett and Jesus Luzardo (at the right price). The Mariners? They have righties Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller at the edges of their rotation, as well as an eternal need at second base (Kolten Wong didn't ... didn't do it for anyone last year).

If either team is interested in Oswald Peraza as a centerpiece, a deal could be consummated quickly. Maybe one year of Torres is tempting, too? Either way, the Yankees have a desire for pitching and a continuing infield logjam to solve ... which might be on the verge of getting jammed up further.

The Yankees' interest in Gio Urshela was registered at the tail end of 2023, and Torres posted a photo of the two of them on his Instagram story Saturday, Jan. 13. Urshela then reposted it. What ... does it mean? And did anyone warn Torres that this might be a "Gift of the Magi" situation where the incumbent second baseman gets his friend back in the Bronx, but is sacrificed to Seattle in order to clear the roster spot?

Yankees Rumors: Gio Urshela back to the Bronx?

Urshela, after being shipped off simply for not being Josh Donaldson, continued to hit after his Yankee days ended in both Minnesota and Los Angeles. He's always been an old-school, eye test player; his defensive metrics don't match up with the wizardry he regularly displays at the hot corner, and his propensity for clutch liners isn't necessarily measured by OPS. Still, his 2019 season was as good as it seemed; he posted a 133 OPS+, followed by a 137 mark in the shortened 2020 before things fell back to earth in '21 (96, .720 OPS).

In Minnesota, though, he climbed back to 119 before hitting a powerless .299 in Anaheim, ending his season with a bleak-sounding pelvic fracture. Now fully rehabilitated, Urshela would make a perfect bench piece/100-game starter/vibes-inducing backup plan in the Bronx. The only question is whether a reunion with Torres would last longer than a phone call and the purchase of a second plane ticket. He could be the corresponding move.