Gleyber Torres is not the Yankees shortstop of the future. Who is?
In the span of one game, the Yankees saw the promise and problem with finding their new shortstop of the future.
Sunday night, Corey Seager, the free-agent-to-be who seems to fit the Bombers better than the rest, homered for the Dodgers in the first inning to give them a two-run lead. And then, the Braves walked off their second straight win when Eddie Rosario’s line drive flared off Seager’s glove.
The Yankees at least head into this winter knowing their shortstop of the future is not Gleyber Torres. They still have to decide if the 24-year-old is their second baseman of the future — and all the moves that will be required to accommodate that, like moving DJ LeMahieu to first or third — or if he is more valuable in a trade package. Torres is projected to get $5.9 million in arbitration next season, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
Either way, the Yankees made the decision to move on from Torres and his misplays at shortstop in September and now they have to figure out how to move forward.
The easy way out of this is for the Bombers to spend this winter on a rich free agent market of shortstops that includes the precocious 27-year-old Carlos Correa, Trevor Story, who the Yankees were linked to numerous times over the past year, Javier Baez, Marcus Semien and Seager.
Here is a brief look at the top shortstops available via free agency.
CARLOS CORREA
Correa has slashed .279/.366/.485 with 26 home runs this year. He’s rated as one of the league’s best with the glove for the past few seasons. He finished the 2021 regular season with the top WAR according to Baseball Reference. At just 27, he’s still young and is going to be a foundation for an organization for years to come.
He is also the face of the Astros’ 2017-18 cheating scandal, which still burns the Yankees. It would be interesting to see Correa in a Yankees clubhouse full of players who were very vocal in their belief that the Astros cheated them out of a trip to the World Series.
COREY SEAGER
Seager, the 2020 World Series MVP, is a left-handed power bat who rarely strikes out and draws walks. Seager hit .306/.394/.521 over 407 plate appearances this season, missing time with a fractured right hand. His glove has been rated average to slightly below average the last few seasons, but his proven offense has been able to overcome that.
MARCUS SEMIEN
The Yankees saw first hand how much damage Semien can do. He was a shortstop until last season, when the Blue Jays signed him to play second. He was rated as one of the best at second base in 2021. Semien led MLB with 724 plate appearances, and he hit a .265/.334/.538 with 45 home runs, the fourth most in the majors and stole 15 bases.
TREVOR STORY
The Yankees have long been linked to Story in trade rumors. He had a bad year coming into free agency. His .251/.329/.471 slash line was his worst since 2017. Story had fairly dramatic home-road splits in 2021. At Coors Field, Story hit .296/.365/.515 with an .880 OPS. Away from Colorado, Story hit .203/.292/.426 with a .717 OPS, which should raise some concerns.
JAVIER BAEZ
Baez would likely be the only shortstop free agent that will not come with the hit of having to give up a draft pick because of a qualifying offer. After a disastrous 2020 with the Cubs, he rallied a bit in 2021, especially after being traded to the Mets. He hit .299/.371/.515 with nine homers over 47 games. On defense, he lived up to his nickname “El Mago” as a magician with a glove. He hits for power, runs the bases well and is regarded as an excellent defensive infielder, but one concern is his high strikeout rate. He was punched out 184 times this season, the fifth most in the majors.
OTHERS
With two of the Yankees’ top prospects being shortstops — Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza — there is a chance the Yankees may just try and stopgap the position until the youngsters are ready. Among those available would be Andrelton Simmons, Freddie Galvis and Jose Igelsias.
