Yankees Predicted to Replace Gleyber Torres With $49 Million Gold Glove Winner

The New York Yankees have made several acquisitions after losing outfielder Juan Soto. However, one area general manager Brian Cashman still needs to fill is second base. Could Gold Glove Award winner Ha-Seong Kim be New York’s Gleyber Torres replacement? Although Torres has publicly stated he’d like to wear pinstripes for the rest of his career, it seems like he’ll be playing somewhere other than the Bronx next season. That leaves the Yankees with two ways to fill this roster hole:

use an internal option or acquire someone via free agency or on the trade market. That’s where Kim could come into play. While the 29-year-old doesn’t have as much offensive upside as Torres, he’s serviceable at the plate while being superior in the field. Kim owns a .706 OPS for his career and won a Gold Glove Award in 2023 while placing 14th in National League MVP Award voting. Kim’s defense was worth four Outs Above Average (OAA) in 2024 while primarily playing shortstop, according to Statcast. Torres’ defense was -4 OAA as the Yankees’ starting second baseman.

In an Instagram video discussing free agency predictions, MLB analyst Steven Russell said Kim should land in the Bronx. “Ha Seong Kim … perfect Yankees fit after Gleyber Torres,” Russell said. “Defense-first guy who is at least an average hitter. He’s also very versatile defensively. I think the team could use it.”

Bringing Kim into the fold would give the Yankees options. He’s racked up significant innings at second base, shortstop and third base since making his big-league debut in 2021. He could take over for Torres at second base or play third base and allow Jazz Chisholm Jr. to slide back to the keystone.

Third Base Rumors: Bregman, Arenado, Yankees, Tigers, Astros

With the Yankees in need of infield help, both Alex Bregman and Nolan Arenado have been linked to the club this offseason, with the idea being that one would become New York’s new third baseman and Jazz Chisholm Jr. would become the full-time second baseman.  However, during an edition of the YES Network’s “Yankees Hot Stove” show earlier this week, Jack Curry said that the Bronx Bombers weren’t in on either Bregman or Arenado, and pushed back on the idea that the Yankees ever had interest in trading for Arenado.

This runs counter to last week’s report (from MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, John Denton, and Bryan Hoch) that the Yankees offered Marcus Stroman to the Cardinals as part of a trade package for Arenado, though St. Louis rejected the deal.  As always with seemingly contradictory offseason reports, the truth could lie somewhere in the middle.  Hypothetically, it could be that New York’s interest in Arenado was limited to this scenario that would’ve seen Stroman’s salary moved off the team’s books.

Whatever the depth of the Yankees’ interest in Arenado might be, it could be a moot point if Arenado himself isn’t interested in joining the team.  The Yankees aren’t one of the six clubs (the Angels, Dodgers, Padres, Phillies, Mets, Red Sox) Arenado is reportedly willing to waive his no-trade protection to join, and Arenado has already vetoed a proposed deal to the Astros.  There was speculation that New York’s deal with Paul Goldschmidt was made in part to entice Arenado to accept a trade to the Bronx to join his old teammate, yet Curry’s report seems to close the door on that possibility.