The 2024 season is going to be a big year for the New York Yankees. They're set to try and bounce back from a disappointing 80-win season last year and try to win another championship. There are also some questions that the Yankees need to answer, like are they going to sign Blake Snell? Another question that needs answering is whether they'll give second baseman Gleyber Torres an extension.
Torres has one year and $14.2 million left on his contract before he becomes a free agent. The Yankees and Torres haven’t had any discussions about a long-term deal, according to the Associated Press. On Wednesday, Torres said that he wants to be a Yankee for life.
I don’t want to leave from here,” Torres said. “I feel at home right now. I know everybody; [these are] my brothers, my family here. I want to be a Yankee for life. I don’t blame [Cashman], and also I don’t blame the organization to [not] talk extension. Unfortunately, over the past couple of years, we had a couple of extensions for Sevy and Hicksie. Unfortunately, they got injuries. As a team and also as a business plan, it’s not good to get extensions and get an injury.”
Last year Torres hit .273 with 25 home runs, 68 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases, with a .800 OPS. So, should the Yankees give him a long-term deal? Even though I would like for him to stay, I think that the answer to the question about a long-term deal is no. In his first two seasons with the Yankees, he was an All-Star, then struggled a little bit, but has bounced back. He has also been the second-best player on the Yankees behind Aaron Judge at times. However, other factors make Torres unlikely to get a new deal in the Bronx.
One factor is what happened to Luis Severino and Aaron Hicks. In February 2019 Severino got a five-year extension and Hicks got a seven-year deal. However, Severino underperformed and got injured and is now with the New York Mets. Hicks also underperformed and got injured and ended up being released. The Yankees probably haven’t started discussions about a long-term deal because they are wondering will the same thing that happened to Severino and Hicks happen to Torres?
The other factor is free agency. The Yankees could have the top four free agents in the game after the 2024 season with Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo, Clay Holmes, and possibly Torres. The addition of Soto doesn’t bode well for Torres. Soto will probably have a very good season, and the Yankees will want to give him an extension.
The only way I see Torres getting a long-term deal is if Soto struggles badly enough, and Torres simply performs above expectations this year. Unfortunately, Torres will have to find a new team to play for in 2025.
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