Yankees poised to miss out on a long-time trade target — and an ideal Gleyber Torres replacement

It felt as if Gleyber Torres found himself in New York Yankees trade rumors for years, yet Brian Cashman never got rid of him. With that being said, though, Torres is now a free agent. Based on the fact that the Yankees did not give Torres a qualifying offer and that they're prioritizing Juan Soto in free agency, it feels likely that Torres is going to wear another uniform come Opening Day.

Losing Torres isn't nearly as big of a deal as letting Soto go, obviously, but he was still an important part of this team this past season. He had a down year but ended it strongly, and led off games in October, hitting in front of the dynamic duo of Soto and Aaron Judge. He played extremely well as a table setter in that leadoff role down the stretch of the regular season and in the postseason.

The Yankees have several choices regarding how they'd replace Torres. Moving Jazz Chisholm to the keystone, his natural position, and acquiring a third baseman would make a lot of sense. New York could also elect to keep Chisholm at the hot corner and bring in a new second baseman.

If they chose to go that route, Jonathan India, a player that the Yankees have been connected to for a while now, would make sense as a potential trade target. Unfortunately, it's looking like the Yankees might've missed out, as according to C. Trent Rosecrans and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required), the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals are currently in discussions revolving around India.

"India, the Cincinnati Reds’ second baseman, is one of several hitters the Kansas City Royals are targeting, according to sources briefed on the team’s discussions."

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It sure looks like the Yankees are going to miss out on an ideal Gleyber Torres replacement

The Reds and Royals are reportedly discussing a deal that would include sending India to Kansas City and Brady Singer to Cincinnati. The deal is not close or finalized, but the fact that they're in rumors doesn't suggest that the Yankees have the best shot at closing a deal for India.

India is far from a superstar, but he's an above-average second baseman, much like Torres. In fact, their profiles are awfully similar. For example, they both hit 15 home runs this past season while playing a shade over 150 games. India's career OPS is .764, Torres' is .774. Torres probably has a bit more offensive upside, but India is a much better defender and base runner. An argument can be made that he'd be a better fit for the Yankees than Torres.

India would especially make sense for the Yankees because he's projected to make just $5.4 million in arbitration next season by Spotrac and is under club control through the 2026 campaign. The Yankees could get two cheap years of a very solid second baseman.

Unfortunately for New York, they don't really have a comparable offer to that of Kansas City's for India. Singer is a 28-year-old starter coming off his best season with two full years of club control remaining. Parting with Clarke Schmidt for India would probably be a bit too much considering his extra year of control, and parting with Nestor Cortes for India probably wouldn't be enough with him being a rental.

The Yankees do have other options out there in free agency and on the trade market to fit into their infield, but given their past interest in India and Torres' looming departure, India's fit in the Bronx made a lot of sense. Assuming a deal that sends India elsewhere is finalized, it's back to the drawing board for Brian Cashman.