TAMPA — While leaner versions of Giancarlo Stanton and Carlos Rodón have grabbed attention at Yankees camp, another member of the team also showed up with a new look.
Gleyber Torres rocked a mustache for the first few days of spring training, sparking a few funny comments and social media posts. But with team photo day scheduled for Wednesday, Torres came to George M. Steinbrenner Field with a bare upper lip.
“I noticed he got rid of that tired mustache,” Aaron Boone said in a joking manner.
Torres added that he’s a little superstitious and that he’s had success without the stache. He also wasn’t ready to commit to seeing the facial hair for the rest of the season.
“I’m not prepared yet to see myself with a mustache all year long in every ballpark,” Torres said. “Maybe during the season I’ll just let it grow out.”
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— John Brophy (@jbrophybaseball) February 19, 2024
Torres didn’t want to appear any different on scoreboards across the major leagues. This time next year, he might not have a choice.
An impending free agent, Torres may have to take team photos in another uniform next spring. He’s a Yankee for now after another offseason of trade rumors, but he and the club have not discussed an extension.
“He’s our second baseman for this year,” Brian Cashman said last week. “We haven’t had any conversations about anything past that.”
Torres was aware of the general manager’s comments, but the 27-year-old is not taking any issue with the Yankees’ approach. He saw the team extend former teammates Luis Severino and Aaron Hicks, and those contracts didn’t work out.
“I don’t blame [Cashman], and also, I don’t blame the organization,” Torres said. “Unfortunately, the past couple years, we got a couple extensions like Sevy and also Hicksy. Unfortunately, they got injuries.
“We never think they’re gonna call us and get an extension because we know what’s happened in the past. And I don’t blame them… If I have a really good year and I put up really good numbers, I think we can get a conversation.”
Torres noted that Aaron Judge didn’t sign an extension with the Yankees, but he’s still in pinstripes (Judge did get an offer, however).
Torres and his agent haven’t engaged the Yankees about an extension. They’d rather the club come to them, as the infielder is certainly hoping for a long-term deal.
“I don’t want to leave here. I feel at home right now,” Torres told reporters. “I want to be a Yankee for life.”
In a separate follow-up with the Daily News, Torres didn’t dismiss the possibility of giving the Yankees a discount.
“I don’t know,” he initially said. “If at some point during spring training we got a conversation, for sure. Yeah, we can discuss whatever thing is available.”
Torres is open to starting those conversations during spring training. However, he’d like to focus on playing once the season starts. Cashman said “who knows” when asked if extension talks could happen at some point this year.
“Let’s see what happens after the season,” Torres said.
In the meantime, Torres is trying to “control what I can control,” part of his effort to have a strong walk year. With a “pretty big carrot” dangling, Boone said Torres is “highly motivated.”
“I love where his mindset is right now,” the manager said.
Torres has been a Yankee since 2016, when the team acquired him as a Cubs prospect in the Aroldis Chapman trade. He’s been a productive, if inconsistent, hitter since debuting in 2018, earning two All-Star nods while totaling a .267/.334/.454 slash line, 123 home runs, 378 RBI and a 116 wRC+.
While Torres suffered down years in 2020 and 2021, he bounced back in 2022. Last year, he enjoyed his best season since clobbering 38 homers in 2019, slashing .273/.347/.453 with 25 dingers and 68 RBI. His home run total and 123 wRC+ ranked sixth among qualified second basemen, making him one of the better hitters at his position and the Yankees’ most reliable, healthy batter.
“We saw a more mature approach last year that lent itself to more consistency at the plate,” Boone said, adding that Torres “gets swept under the rug,” or overlooked, due to some of the other names in the Yankees’ lineup.
The skipper considers Torres one of the team’s offensive “linchpins” — Boone expects him to bat fourth, fifth and sixth, in addition to occasionally leading off — as well as a member of the clubhouse’s “inner circle.”
But Torres is prone to making mistakes on the bases and in the field. Meanwhile, the Yankees have a few young infielders who are looking to prove themselves this season. The group includes Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Vivas.
“I think there’s more in there for him defensively,” Boone said of Torres. “He can play better at second base to where he should be, to me, a really great defender.”
There is a real possibility that 2024 will be Torres’ final season with the Yankees, and that may even be the likeliest outcome. He tries to avoid those thoughts, but it’s hard sometimes.
“I feel at home right now,” Torres said. “I know this organization since 2016. I feel good. I know everybody. As a player, you never want to leave from your house. Now I’m in a good spot. I know it’s a free agent year, but I don’t think too much about that.
“But I can’t lie. Yeah, I just think sometimes like maybe it’s gonna be my last year here because I don’t know what’s the business plan next year. But it’s just like, worry about myself.”
