Free agent second baseman Gleyber Torres is getting attention from multiple teams, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reports (X link), with the Angels cited as a new suitor. The Blue Jays were also mentioned, and while Toronto’s interest in Torres dates back to early November, Morosi’s report today was published before the Jays seemingly addressed their second base position by acquiring Andres Gimenez.
An inconsistent 2024 season left Torres with a .257/.330/.378 slash line over 665 plate appearances in his walk year, as well as 15 home runs for the pennant-winning Yankees. This works out to a 104 wRC+ that is slightly above league-average offensive production, but also a step down from the 118 wRC+ that Torres posted over the 2022-23 seasons. Torres’ 35.4% hard-hit ball rate and 6.3% barrel rate were both career-lows of a full season, and he saw his strikeout rate drop back to average-ish career norms after a great year of avoiding swings and misses in 2023.
This doesn’t tell the full story of Torres’ 2024 campaign, however, as his numbers were diminished by an ugly early-season slump that cost him the leadoff spot in the Yankees’ lineup. Getting regularly slotted back into the leadoff spot in mid-August seemed to restore Torres’ confidence — he hit .236/.309/.349 in his first 481 PA, but .313/.386/.454 in 184 PA from August 16 until the end of the season. Torres continued to hit well during the ALDS and ALCS before the Dodgers’ pitching cooled off his bat during the World Series.
Finishing strong gives Torres some level of momentum heading into free agency, but clubs must have some natural concerns over the dropoff in Torres’ power. Home run pop and a decent walk rate are Torres’ bread and butter, as public defensive metrics have graded his second-base glovework as subpar across the board in each of the last two seasons.
On the plus side, Torres is still only a couple of days short of his 28th birthday. A case can be made that a change of scenery might be beneficial, as Torres was often a target of fan criticism during his up-and-down seven-season run in the Bronx. Moving from New York to Los Angeles would technically be a lateral move in terms of market size, but obviously the Angels have a much lower profile, as the team is mired in a string of nine straight losing seasons and is playing second fiddle to the Dodgers within the area.
MLBTR ranked Torres 20th on our list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents, with a very fluid projection of a two-year, $36MM deal. It is easy to imagine Torres taking even a one-year deal with the intention of testing the market again after a strong 2025 season, or he might prefer to lock in the security of a longer-term contract if such an offer is on the table. The free agent market for second basemen isn’t exactly deep, plus second base-needy teams like the Blue Jays (with Gimenez), Giants (by signing Willy Adames and moving Tyler Fitzgerald to second base), Royals (Jonathan India), and Rockies (Thairo Estrada) have already addressed the position in other ways. A reunion with the Yankees has never seemed likely.
Luis Rengifo is penciled in as the Angels’ top second base option at the moment, but Rengifo’s versatility would allow him to be deployed in plenty of other ways if Los Angeles brought Torres into the fold. Rengifo could play shortstop until Zach Neto is healthy, or get more work at third base given the Angels’ willingness to either move Anthony Rendon to other positions or perhaps reduce Rendon’s playing time entirely.
Despite the questions that exist about Torres’ bat, it still feels like he would help an Angels lineup that was one of the worst in baseball in 2024. The Halos have been aggressive in trying to upgrade their roster this winter, already bolstering the lineup with Jorge Soler and Travis d’Arnaud and bringing Yusei Kikuchi and Kyle Hendricks into the rotation. Owner Arte Moreno has traditionally been wary about the luxury tax threshold, but RosterResource’s estimate of a current $207.1MM tax number still leaves L.A. with plenty of room for more additions before approaching the $241MM tax line.
If he played half the games at the Yankees’ and put up 1.8 War what would his production at the Angels stadium be?
Well a quick look at his splits last year shows that he hit better on the road than he did at Yankee Stadium
No. Check again. His career numbers at home is certainly better even though the difference is small.
It wouldn’t change much. rWar is based in large part by OPS+, which includes park factor adjustments. Both Anaheim and Yankee slightly favor hitters. Yankee Stadium is more hitter friendly, but not as much as you may believe.
Gleyber didn;t have a great year last year and was pretty much an average player. If he is an average player with the Angels, it would be a huge upgrade for the Angels since he would be replacing Drury, who was a negative 2 last year.
@aragon
YS doesn’t offer any real benefits to righties
Go West young man
Liberty Valance is waiting.
That’s wishful thinking
Deal that includes an opt out after 25 seems likely. Knowing the Angels, it might be an eight year deal with opt outs every season. LOL
Is he really? There have been tons of rumors so far and this is the first mention of him.
I assumed he’d get like 1 year/$20M to 2 years/$35M to 3 years/$49.5M from a club desperate to look like they’re trying to be competitive but can’t afford or don’t want to spend on the real top tier free agents…
I wouldn’t be shocked to see the A’s offer him like 6 years/$90M haha.
In all seriousness I think the current make up and massive holes the Angels have in their roster would make him a perfect mirage free agent smash for them- they look like they’re trying to improve the club and spend money but they know it’s cheaper to pay him $30M to $100M than to try a Pujols or Rendon type deal again any time soon.
That said- they’re supposedly in the running for Arenado, who would be way more expensive but also more productive, even with his diminishing returns and being twice the price annually.
2 years/$70M for Arenado or 2 years/$35M for Gleyber. or even 6 years/$90M for Gleyber- or whatever it’d end up being.
Plus- Arenado has a really complex deal with many years of deferments, etc. and I kinda wonder if the Angels would prefer something straight up with Gleyber where he’s off the books in 2-6 years at the conclusion of any contract he’d sign with them, because his total annual salary would be equivalent to Arenado’s annual base salaries.
Gleybar isn’t getting 20 mil a year. Not even close.
Dude with all due respect take a good hard look at the going rates first these guys. Gary effing Sanchez got $8.5M- you really think a guy who made over $14M his final year of arbitration and had Gleyber’s overall numbers is getting less than $15M per year and if you think he isn’t gonna push for extra on a shorter deal you’re big paying attention.
$20M today is what $13M-$14M was 10-15 years ago.
I just live in reality friend-o.
*I typed that on my phone while waking up hence the typos…
Look- bottom line is that so far everybody who has signed has signed for an extra few million a season than people seem to be anticipating.
Gleyber’s overall numbers are ultimately above average, his numbers overall for his walk year were decent- not spectacular, but decent- and he’s basically a 2.0 WAR player in this environment… Gary Sanchez, a 0.2 WAR player who’s lucky to be getting roster spots, got $8.5M.
Gleyber is only 28 years old, he’s, by most standards, in theory about to go into his prime and be his best self for the next 3-6 years and will want to be paid accordingly and his walk year was not atrocious or a lost season.
If it was any other player the idea that they’d be looking at 2 years/$36M (MLBTR’s estimate- which is an $18M AAV, which is quite close to $20M- or even actually in fact reach that $20M per year threshold on a short term pact would be a reasonable projection if it was virtually any other player, you’re just not accepting the reality of the market, you probably don’t like Gleyber (not that I do or do not like him) and you think it’s still 2005, when the Red Sox offered Johnny Damon 4 years/$36M and the Yankees ‘blew them out of the water’ with that 4 year/$52M offer…
Nowadays that same saga would’ve been the Red Sox offering Damon 4 years/$90M and the Yankees would’ve won the bidding with 4 years/$120M or something along those lines.
That’s just reality.
Using what Gary, a catcher, got paid as a baseboard for what Gleyber, a 2nd baseman, should get paid is a bad time. Two different markets
Not sure the Angels could lower Rendon’s playing time any lower than what it has been.
Halos. Lame.
You, too!
Love to see the Orioles get GT. True, it would be lowering Os defensive capabilities at 2nd base but, to me, offense trumps defense here.
Right handed above average league level hitter that can help take pressure off rh thumper bat guys O’Neil, Mouncastle and Mayo.
Turn your head and cough but i do recall that White Sox GM only considering moving Cease if Westburg was part of the deal. I’m pretty sure that’s how Getz (sp?) sees making a deal with Orioles to get Crochet? TOR guy!
Crochet for Westburg. Yes? Both FMs might Bute here.
*GMs*
*bite*
Yankees needed to trade Torres at the deadline. They don’t want him back, and I’m happy. They needed to get something for him.
Agree. The Yankees missed an opportunity there. And even at that early juncture of the season, it was obvious to me my Os were in desperate need of some offensive pop. GT sees the ball so we’ll at OPACY that even though they are division rivals, I was hoping a deal could’ve been worked out.
So, in addition to GT at 2nd, what would the Orioles infield look like with no Westburg? Henderson to 3rd, Mateo back to SS until Holliday gets up to speed, Mountcastle/O’Hearn 1st base and with Urias as the swiss army knife piece. Yes? No? Maybe?
And, not an absolute priority now to bankrupt the franchise for a TOR. Eflin/GRod/Crochet become a TOR by committee presence … and on the cheap with control. Plus Bradish and Wells on the mend. Holy smokes!
Angels just need to sign Brendan Rodgers. He’s good for 260. And 13-15 homeruns. He could spilt time with newman.
Brendan is that you? Moreno doesn’t frequent this site so you are just wasting your time. Moreno can’t read.
@wadeBoggs. Moreno isn’t the gm. The reading part is probably correct, but luckily I can sign my name.
I was under the impression Arte Moreno was the owner that consistently steps in to force his GM to sign garbage players to high value contracts. He has done this enough times that I question his intelligence to the point of calling him illiterate. I know you can read Brendan. You’re a decent player I was just saying the best way to become an Angel is to talk to Moreno straight off.
@wade. Trade trout. Arte sucks, and your mom gave you clymdia.
Come on Brendan. Mrs. Boggs is a saint. Arte does suck. We have established that. Trading Trout would be the smartest thing the angels ever did.
I see the Mariners as more of a fit, but Rengifo can indeed move around so it couldwprk in LA, too. Either way, I still like Gleyber as NYY fan, and wouldn’t hate him coming back, but I do think it’s probably best to move on.
This move will push the Angels over the top to only lose 95 games instead of 100 this year!!!
This is the MOST Angels move possible. Signing an underachieving overrated Yankee at a non premium position to a large contract just cuz.
Torres is WAY too good a player for the Angels to actually be interested in him. He’s not a 32 year-old overpriced slugger they can give $200 million to or a failed former #1 pick on the scrap heap so he simply doesn’t fit the mold of a player the Angels would sign.
Angels, just say no…..
Can he play third? Because Rengifo is best at second.
@halosheavenjj. Rengifo looks better at 3rd or atleast last year. I think it eliminates some of his mental gaffes throwing to the wrong base. He seems to field better as well with neto covering most of that side, and newman is a good defensive ss so it shouldn’t change much.
Moore is certainly coming up early next season. Signing Terres messes up.
@aragon that’s why I don’t see them getting gleyber. Maybe Rodgers or ha seong kim on a one year deal so they can flip at the deadline.