The New York Yankees and their quest for a middle infielder to replace Gleyber Torres, their two-time All-Star second baseman who departed in free agency, continues to be one of the lengthiest, most drawn out sagas of this MLB offseason. When the Yankees let Torres go to the Detroit Tigers on a one-year, $15 million contract without even making an offer to keep him, they apparently made no plan to cover his all-important spot in the middle infield.
The Bronx Bombers have been linked to such big name free agents as Alex Bregman, and lesser-known ones like Ha-Seong Kim as well as several others in between.
In the latest prediction of how the Yankees may solve their second base problem, the Yankees will need to be “patient” and wait to swoop in and take advantage of what looks like a coming conflict between a rising star infielder and his current team. If they can pull off this move, they could end up with a player the same age as Torres and statistically almost identical, and even superior in some respects, for about 20 percent of the price.
Taking Advantage of a ‘Fractured Relationship’
The scenario comes from Empire Sports Media founder Alexander Wilson, who on Monday published a column detailing what he called the “fractured relationship” between the St. Louis Cardinals and their 28-year-old second baseman Brendan Donovan.
Donovan, a seventh-round draft selection, 213th overall, in 2018, made his Major League debut with St. Louis in 2022. He immediately won a National League Golden Glove award and placed third in voting for the Rookie of the Year honor won that year by Michael Harris II of the Atlanta Braves.
Though Donovan has not won a Gold Glove in the two seasons since then, Fangraphs advanced fielding statistics show that he has actually become even better as a defensive second baseman. In his rookie year, Donovan recorded a negative number in the “Outs Above Average” category, -2 in 264 1/3 innings at the position in 2022. But in 2024, Donovan played 421 1/3 innings at second base and was worth a full five outs above average.
Comparing Donovan to Torres based on 2024 statistics, the Cardinals infielder was worth 3.2 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in 153 games played, while Torres’ Fangraphs WAR number in almost an identical number of games (154) was 1.7. Yet Torres, according to Spotrac, can expect a salary of $3.075 million next season. Torres, of course, will collect about five times that figure.
Donovan, Cards at Odds Over Just $450,000
So what is the conflict between Donovan and the Cardinals? For the first time, Donovan became eligible for arbitration this offseason. He asked the Cardinals for a $3.3 million salary. The Cardinals countered with a $2.85 million offer. The two sides could not compromise. Now Donovan is headed for a potentially bitter arbitration hearing in February over a relatively meager $450,000 difference.
“Arbitration disputes are rarely a good sign for long-term harmony, and the Cardinals’ apparent reluctance to commit to Donovan financially suggests that his future in St. Louis may not be as secure as it once seemed,” Wilson wrote on the Empire Sports Media site Monday. Wilson notes that not only would Donovan be a Yankees solution for 2025, but he will not become a free agent until 2028, giving the Bronx Bombers not just a one-year but a three-year, cost-controlled answer to the second base question.
But Wilson says that the Yankees, and Yankee fans, will need to be “patient” and wait for the drama between Donovan and St. Louis to play out.
“Donovan represents the kind of championship-caliber addition that could make the difference in October,” he wrote. “While the Yankees could act now, waiting for the right deal to materialize—possibly involving Donovan—might be the key to turning a strong offseason into an unforgettable one.”
