The Gleyber Torres era is over for the New York Yankees. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Friday that Torres agreed to a one-year, $15 million deal with the Detroit Tigers. Could general manager Brian Cashman replace him by trading for Tampa Bay Rays infielder Brandon Lowe?
Torres publicly said he’d like to spend his entire career in the Bronx. However, it never seemed like the Yankees were serious about a reunion. If Cashman wanted to bring back the 28-year-old, it would’ve been easy enough to do based on the deal he agreed to with Detroit.
New York has multiple external options available to replace Torres in the lineup and on the infield. Outside of pursuing certain free agents, the Yankees could try and convince the Rays to trade Lowe within the American League East. Sporting News’ Jackson Roberts proposed the following hypothetical trade:
– Yankees receive: second baseman Brandon Lowe
– Rays receive: right-handed pitcher Ben Hess and second baseman/third baseman Jorbit Vivas Hess (eighth) and Vivas (17th) finished the 2024 season among the Yankees’ top 20 prospects, according to MLB.com. Lowe hasn’t played in more than 109 games since appearing in 149 in 2021.
However, he’s produced three seasons of 21-plus home runs during that time. The 29-year-old has posted a .794 OPS over his past 1,742 plate appearances, which would be a solid addition to the Yankees’ lineup. This type of acquisition also wouldn’t tax the Yankees much financially. Lowe finished a six-year, $24 million deal in 2024, but the Rays exercised his $10.5 million option for 2025. He also has an $11.5 million club option for 2026 available before getting a chance to reach free agency, per Spotrac.