Now with the Tigers, Graver Torres avoided the fact that he bit too much into Yankees general manager Brian Cashman's comments on Thursday, saying he didn't want to move to “3 base” to last season's 3 base.
“Not yet? Torres tweeted Thursday night.
To understand this semi-beef, you'll need a trip back to July when the Yankees earned their second baseman, Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Clearly, one of the two would have to shift his position, and Torres revealed that he expected him to remain.
“Yeah, I'm the second baseman, Torres said at the time.
Torres added that he is “ready for anything,” and Yankees manager Aaron Boone believes he is “open” to the moves that the infielder can do, but Cashman said on Thursday. He said he had a take.
The Yankees general manager said he wanted Torres to change positions when he addressed where Chisholm will play this next season.
“When I got jazz, I had my second baseman and moved Grayber to the third remaining last year,” Cashman told Yes Network. “Booney wanted to do that the other way around. He moved the jazz to third after we got him and kept Graber second because he didn't want Graber to be third. The Jazz was baptized in a position he had never played, played it well enough, and now gives us a little more flexibility into the '25 years.”
The Yankees don't have a Torres caliber to compete with Chisholm Jr. at 2 base this year, but Cashman didn't close Chisholm Jr.'s door.
Internal options such as DJ Lemahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza, Jorbit Vivas etc should all be included in the mix, but Trade – No. 6 starter Marcus Stroman is available.
Cashman said the team could “switch back and forth” in the hot corner, and the platoon could be hired.
“Depending on who's on the mound, you don't know which way to go between the third jazz, the second aaaat jazz or the jazz. Whether it's the second or third, you're trying to get a spot. Some of the people we have,” Cashman said.
“The flexibility offered by jazz athleticism gives you plenty of opportunity to play it.”
The Yankees can play Chisholm Jr. on 2 base after Torres walks this offseason that he will not offer qualifying offers this offseason, and join the Tigers in a one-year $15 million deal I cleared the road.
Torres cut .265/.334/.441 with .774 OPS over seven seasons in the Bronx after being bought out in trade from the Cubs.
Chisholm hit a .273 with the .825 OPS, but after last year's midseason acquisition from Marlins, he hit 11 Homer across 46 games and drove for 23 runs.
