The Washington Nationals, seeking to build upon the momentum they created at the 2024 Winter Meetings in Dallas after landing the #1 overall pick in the 2025 Draft that will leave them in prime position to draft a top tier talent like Ethan Holliday or Jace LaViolette, are reportedly interested in another free agent. However, despite their reported inquiry on the services of New York Yankees' second baseman Gleyber Torres, the team is interested in him playing a new position.
That's right, Torres, who has primarily been a second baseman throughout his MLB career, is reportedly being pursued by the Nationals as a potential option to play third base. This news is particularly puzzling as Torres infamously denied the opportunity to move over to third base earlier this season after the Yankees acquired Jazz Chisholm, forcing the team to move Chisholm to a new position, which he performed admirably in.
Torres has been a somewhat inconsistent presence in the Yankees' lineup over the last few seasons, and has never quite matched the production he had in 2019 when he finished in the top 20 of AL MVP voting. While he was undoubtedly a beneficiary of the juiced balls of that 2019 season, he has still provided quality power numbers in the years since, with totals of 24 and 25 in the 2022 and 2023 seasons being his best since that breakout year. His numbers slipped in 2024, and he finished with just a .709 OPS to go along with 15 homers and 63 RBIs.
While it would be tough to say that Torres has ever lived up to his billing as a former highly-ranked prospect back in his days in the Chicago Cubs' organization before being traded for Aroldis Chapman in 2016, he could certainly be worth taking a chance on to see if he can produce away from the pressure of playing for the Yankees. Due to his shaky defense at second base, I would be shocked if he was able to make a smooth transition to third base, as the hot corner has earned the nickname for a reason, it's not an easy position to pick up on the fly for a guy who has struggled defensively in his pro career.
However, I am not completely opposed to taking a chance on his bat, as I truly believe he would be able to come in and be an upgrade over many of the Nationals' incumbent options on the infield, but having a defensive infield of Torres, CJ Abrams, and Luis Garcia Jr. sounds like an absolute nightmare defensively. If the team was able to secure Torres on a 2 or 3 year deal, I would be all over this, but I'm not sure if I am saying this because I desperately want to see the club sign a free agent, or because I think he would be a great fit.
If third base is one of the routes that Mike Rizzo wants to pursue, I would rather the team pay up the big bucks and insert themselves into the Alex Bregman sweepstakes. However, with teams like the Tigers, Yankees, Astros, and Red Sox already being involved in the bidding, the Nationals might not stand a chance to outbid any of those teams, especially since the Yankees and Red Sox lost out on Juan Soto. It will be interesting to see if Torres is the pivot option, but he makes sense for the Nats at this stage because his market has been fairly slow to develop at this point.
Would you want the Nationals to sign Gleyber Torres? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.