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MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees need pitching, but Gleyber Torres is untouchable

By Rucker Haringey

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 13: Gleyber Torres #25 of the New York Yankees celebrates his fifth inning home run against the Washington Nationals at Yankee Stadium on June 13, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 13: Gleyber Torres #25 of the New York Yankees celebrates his fifth inning home run against the Washington Nationals at Yankee Stadium on June 13, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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Everyone acknowledges the Yankees need to acquire another starting pitcher, but rookie sensation Gleyber Torres won’t be used to acquire a top-notch arm.

If the New York Yankees are going to break their championship drought it’s likely going to require Brian Cashman to acquire one or two additional starting pitchers. Using Gleyber Torres as bait could acquire a Cy Young-caliber pitcher. Nonetheless, Cashman will refuse all offers for his young second basemen.

The young infielder has been a revelation for the team since coming up from the minors in late April. He’s hitting .295 at the plate, but the real story is his 13 homers. Putting up that kind of power production in just 156 at bats has caught the eye of front office executives all over MLB. Most everyone believed Torres could hit for average at the major league level, but the pop he’s shown has surprised almost everyone.

As such, it’s no surprise that the Yankees have fielded lots of inquiries about what it would take to get Torres out of the Big Apple. It’s safe to say Cashman isn’t interested in making any deals. When reporters asked him about the possibility of dealing Torres, he just smiled and pointed out that he still has “to walk around this city, via ESPN” The obvious intimation is that Cashman fears a lynching from passionate Yankee fans if he lets Torres leave town.

This is the latest example of just how much Cashman has influenced the way the Yankees do business. 20 years ago the team would have dealt the likes of Torres and Miguel Andujar in an instant to acquire a veteran starting pitcher. That kind of strategy forced the team’s payroll to skyrocket to unsustainable levels.

Now that Cashman has finally gained real control of the front office, the team places a much greater emphasis on growing talent from within the system. Torres wasn’t originally a part of the team’s farm system, but he was the centerpiece of the deal that sent Aroldis Chapman to Chicago. That move was made with an eye toward boosting the club’s farm system.

When the Yankees have a hole at the major league level they first, look to fill it from within. Only after exhausting every internal opportunity does Cashman go shopping via the trade market or free agency.

Next: The Yankees should not trade Gleyber Torres or Miguel Andujar under any circumstances

Cashman’s philosophy is good news for Yankee fans who understand just how good Torres can be in the future. It’s also bad news for other teams who were hoping to pick off one of the brightest young second baseman in the game.

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