Aside from their managerial search which appears to be a slow, ongoing process, the Atlanta Braves' biggest need entering the offseason is at shortstop. Nick Allen clearly is not an answer given the fact that he swings a toothpick and the odds that Ha-Seong Kim tests free agency appear to be high if not a mortal lock. The Braves may have to get creative given the pool of free agent shortstops available, but one name they shouldn't try to pursue is Gleyber Torres.
On paper, Torres seems like he could be a fit for the Braves. He is coming off a solid year at the plate with the Tigers with a 113 wRC+ after signing a one year deal last offseason and Torres does have over 2,000 innings of experience at shortstop. Torres should not be prohibitively expensive or command a long-term deal and he might actually be pretty cheap in the wake of his hernia surgery.
However, a slightly closer look shows that Torres simply isn't the player Atlanta should pursue unless he is both cheap and some fundamental factors change.
Gleyber Torres is not the Braves' offseason solution at shortstop
There is certainly a price point where signing Torres makes sense for the Braves. It isn't like he doesn't have offensive upside and he has made multiple All-Star teams. If he is willing to sign for really cheap, then that would be fine.
However, if Torres is looking for a longer term deal making real dollars, the Braves need to pass. Torres so bad at shortstop with the Yankees that he needed to be moved back to second base where he has played ever since 2022. Compounding the problem, Torres balked at a position switch to third base in the past and has shown little inclination to move off of second base after his shortstop experiment was a disaster the first time around.
Again, entertaining offseason targets that may not be playing short right now, but could potentially work there is not a bad idea. It isn't that dissimilar from looking at relievers that could be starters or vice versa. Unfortunately, Torres' defensive shortcomings and inflexibility should be disqualifying as the Braves continue their search for a shortstop.