Yankees Trade Fan Favorite Torreyes to Cubs

The New York Yankees have made a move that is an unpopular one with the majority of the fans, and it involves a player that bounced around between the Majors and Triple-A in 2018. That player is Ronald Torreyes, who was traded to the Chicago Cubs today for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Despite Torreyes not getting a lot of playing time in 2018, he is still a favorite of Yankee fans, due to his hustle and clutch play in certain moments throughout the three seasons he played in pinstripes. He also was a well-liked teammate, as you could always see guys like Aaron Judge and Didi Gregorius having fun with him in the dugout or on the field. An ongoing joke between Judge and Torreyes was giving each other high fives, despite the 6’7 Judge towering over the 5’8 Torreyes. Another example of the fun Torreyes, or as he was nicknamed “Toe”, brought to the team was that in 2017, when a player would hit a home run, Gregorius and other players would pretend to interview the player and Torreyes would stand on the bench holding what was supposed to be a camera as if he were recording it. This trend was affectionately named “The Toe-night Show”.

Despite his clutch and hustle, as well as his personality, Torreyes was an afterthought in 2018, as he only appeared in 41 games, compared to the 108 he played in 2017. He did miss time due to a family issue, however he still spent time in the minors and did not nearly have the impact he had in 2016 and 2017. The Yankees instead went with Neil Walker and Tyler Wade to be the utility infielders, in place of Torreyes.

With Gregorius due to miss a significant amount of time in the 2019 season after Tommy John surgery, Torreyes would have gotten more playing time in 2019. However, the Yankees will either sign a shortstop such as Manny Machado, or even a second baseman like Daniel Murphy and play Gleyber Torres at shortstop.

As for Torreyes, he will get more playing time with the Cubs in 2019 and will continue to play for a team that has a chance to win.