YANKEES LEGEND UNLEASHES! Blasts Brian Cashman Over Position Switch Fiasco

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman sparked controversy with recent remarks about a former All-Star.

During an appearance on YES Network’s *Yankees Hot Stove*, Cashman disclosed that Gleyber Torres, who signed with the Detroit Tigers this offseason, was “unwilling” to switch to third base after the team acquired Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Miami Marlins last year. Cashman explained, “When I acquired Jazz, I brought him in to be our second baseman and move Gleyber to third for the rest of last year. [Manager Aaron Boone] wanted to do it the other way. He moved Jazz to third after we got him and kept Gleyber at second because Gleyber didn’t want to move to third and was unwilling.”

Torres’ stance on the matter was clear when reporters asked him about changing positions last July. “I’m a second baseman. I play second,” Torres stated bluntly on July 28.

The 28-year-old Torres didn’t appreciate Cashman’s recent comments and responded on social media. “Still? Just turn [the page],” Torres posted on X, accompanied by a paper emoji, though he later deleted the post. Torres spent seven seasons with the Yankees after being acquired from the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 Aroldis Chapman trade. He earned All-Star honors in his first two seasons and seemed destined to become a franchise cornerstone. However, his performance dipped last year. In 2024, Torres struggled defensively and on the basepaths, resulting in multiple benchings due to on-field mistakes. He finished the season with just 15 home runs, a .709 OPS, a 101 OPS+, and 1.8 bWAR before signing a one-year, $15 million deal with Detroit.

With Torres gone, the Yankees must now figure out their infield alignment. They are still deciding whether to move Chisholm back to second base, where he played with the Marlins, or keep him at third. With Alex Bregman and Nolan Arenado unlikely to join the Yankees, internal options at third base include Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza, DJ LeMahieu, and Jorbit Vivas. “I don’t know how [the third base situation is] going to play out,” Cashman said. “I do think we can have one of these candidates emerge, or multiple guys could form a platoon at worst, or one could take the job outright at best. If not, there’s also the trade market to explore as we move forward.”