Yankees are about to miss out on longtime trade target and ideal replacement for Gleyber Torres

It felt like Gleyber Torres was in the New York Yankees trade rumors for years, but Brian Cashman never got rid of him. That said, Torres is now a free agent. Based on the fact that the Yankees have not extended a qualifying offer to Torres and that they are prioritizing Juan Soto in free agency, it seems likely that Torres will wear a different uniform on opening day.

Of course, losing Torres isn’t nearly as big of a deal as letting Soto go, but he was still an important part of this team last season. He had a down year but ended it strong, opening the games in October and batting for the dynamic duo of Soto and Aaron Judge. He played extremely well as a table setter in that leadership role throughout the regular season and into the postseason.

The Yankees have several choices on how they would replace Torres. It would make a lot of sense to move Jazz Chisholm to the cornerstone position, his natural position, and acquire a third baseman. New York could also opt 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 the Yankees have been linked to for some time, would be a logical trade target. Unfortunately, it appears the Yankees may have 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 over 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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The Reds and Royals are reportedly discussing a deal that would send India to Kansas City and Brady Singer to Cincinnati. The deal hasn’t been finalized or finalized yet, but just because rumors are swirling doesn’t mean the Yankees have the best chance of making a deal for India.

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

India would be especially meaningful for the Yankees because he is expected to earn just $5.4 million in arbitration through Spotrac next season and is under club control through the 2026 season. The Yankees could get two cheap years from a very solid second baseman.

Unfortunately for New York, they don’t really have a comparable offering as Kansas City’s does for India. Singer is a 28-year-old starter who is coming off his best season and still has two full years of club control. Parting ways with Clarke Schmidt for India would probably be a bit much given his extra year in charge, and parting ways with Nestor Cortes for India probably wouldn’t be enough if he was on loan.

The Yankees have other options in free agency and on the trade market to fit in at home, but given their previous interest in India and Torres’ impending departure, India’s alignment in the Bronx made a lot of sense. Assuming a deal that sends India elsewhere is completed, Brian Cashman will have to go back to the drawing board.