It is no secret that Gleyber Torres has struggled defensively at shortstop for the New York Yankees over the last couple of seasons. While fans might want to acquire one of the impending free agent stars, that idea wouldn’t quite work for the Yankees.
Yankees fans’ frustrations over Torres’s defensive woes came to head on Wednesday night. The shortstop made a throwing error on a routine ground ball to shortstop in extra innings. As a result, a run came across for the Orioles.
That error turned out to be costly as New York scored in the bottom half of the inning. As such, if Torres hadn’t made the error, the Yankees would have swept Baltimore.
Torres’s defensive mistakes will be detrimental in the postseason if they continue (he already has two errors this season), and could cause a more aggressive push for a shortstop trade. However, beyond the positional gymnastics the Yankees would have to accomplish if a trade occurred, the luxury tax threshold is also prevalent. The Yankees remain adamant that they want to stay under the soft cap.
There were concerns that New York might not have even been able to stay under that threshold if they brought back Brett Gardner in the offseason. In the end, the veteran outfielder agreed to sign for about $2.5 million per year.
Right now, Spotrac lists the Yankees’ Competitive Balance Tax Threshold Payroll at $206.85 million. This is just $4 million shy of the luxury tax ($210 million). If the Bronx Bombers were to acquire, for example, Trevor Story from the rebuilding Colorado Rockies, they would take on $17.5 million.
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Let’s say that New York sends Torres to Colorado. This gives the Rockies a franchise middle infielder while New York sheds some money. His 2021 salary is $4 million, so New York’s payroll would increase by $13.5 million. That still puts them north of $10 million over the threshold.
Furthermore, the fanbase would expect the Yankees’ brass to pay the new shortstop, likely requiring over $200 million. That’s $200 million less to spend on other extensions for upcoming free agents such as Aaron Judge (who hits the market following the 2022 season). Don’t forget that Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton‘s huge contracts are also already on the books for years to come.
While a trade for a star shortstop might sound great, that option just doesn’t fit in New York’s financial plans. If the Yankees want better defense at shortstop, they might just have to employ Tyler Wade late in games.
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