The Yankees GM and His Former Second Baseman Still Aren’t Letting Go
It was a toxic relationship. Gleyber Torres and Brian Cashman just needed to move on from each other. Even after the New York Yankees let go of their former top infield prospect, the tension between the Yankees general manager and Torres remains. The latest exchange came from Torres in Lakeland, where he is now with the Detroit Tigers. After Cashman and the Yankees let him walk in free agency, Torres signed a one-year, $15 million deal with Detroit. “I feel I deserve to be with an organization that wants me,” Torres told Dan Martin of the New York Post. “I’m here now, and that’s the reason I’m here.” When asked if he felt unwanted by the Yankees, Torres responded: “I don’t know. Maybe go ask him.” This isn’t the first time Torres and Cashman have taken shots at each other through the media. Earlier this offseason, Cashman made a subtle dig at Torres, pointing out that the second baseman refused to move to third base last year. The Yankees had asked him to switch positions to accommodate Jazz Chisholm Jr., whom they had just acquired from the Marlins.
When Torres heard about the comment, he fired back on social media with a tweet that read, “Still?” followed by a turn-the-page emoji. He later deleted the post. Their back-and-forth dates back to 2020 when Cashman publicly criticized Torres for reporting to camp out of shape. After COVID-19 shut down spring training, Torres returned heavier than before and later suffered a leg injury. Cashman implied the injury was a result of weight gain. “The past is the past. … I can’t control what people say,” Torres said at the time in response to Cashman’s comments. “I didn’t feel well in the first half of the season because of COVID and things like that.” Torres was the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade Cashman made with the Chicago Cubs in 2016, but he never fully lived up to expectations. He
finished in the top three in Rookie of the Year voting and made the All-Star team in 2018 and 2019, when he hit 38 home runs.
Bryce Harper was like Juan Soto six years ago with the Philadelphia Phillies: playing under the richest contract in North American sports history.
But with Soto inking a 15-year, $765 million deal that can reach $800 million with the New York Mets this offseason, Harper was happy for his new division rival and immediately thought of the players he believes are underpaid — such as the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge.
