TAMPA – Mid-afternoon on Thursday, after many Yankees players had left for the day, Gleyber Torres walked into the coaches’ room in street clothes and with his bag packed.
It looked enough like a player leaving after he had been traded that I texted a source just to make sure.
Torres was still a Yankee, the source said. For now at least, I thought. The fact that a deal seemed plausible told a larger story about the feeling in the Yankees clubhouse right now.
Talking to players over the first five days of spring training has left me with the strong impression that they expect more change in the coming days, both on the roster and with the culture. Virtually no one feels certain that he will not be traded. People are on their toes, and don’t seem to mind it.
That alone is a victory for the front office, which wanted to shake up a vibe that had become -- my words, not theirs -- stale and a bit complacent. There are prominent players who agree with that assessment.
There are plenty more splashes to make, if the Yanks are so inclined. The team likes Oakland Athletics starter Frankie Montas, and catcher Sean Murphy, though the former is more likely than the latter.
There are players who still hope that the team signs Carlos Correa. It’s difficult to say if that is back on the table, because Brian Cashman is in super-stealth mode.
But the Yankees have done extensive background work on Correa, and no one has told me that it’s impossible. It’s not dead in the mind of some players, at least.
A related note that players strike these days is satisfaction with how the team has remade its defense.
After trading Gary Sanchez -- a culture-shock move in itself -- the Yankees intend to prioritize defense at catcher, likely with Kyle Higashioka and Ben Rortvedt sharing time. Rortvedt is known as an excellent receiver.
Since last year’s trade deadline, the Yankees have improved defensively at shortstop, first base, left field and arguably at third base, depending on how one evaluates Gio Urshela versus Josh Donaldson.
Anthony Rizzo was a major part of that pivot toward athleticism when the Yankees acquired him from the Chicago Cubs last summer, and he returned to the team on Thursday.
The feeling around here is that he won’t be the final new Yankee to arrive before Opening Day.
Aaron Boone put it this way: “I haven’t seen much of Cash in the last couple of days, because he has been busy. I know those guys are working overtime right now.”
When Cashman and his staff finally come up for air, the roster will probably be different.
