Second baseman Gleyber Torres noticed his first foray into free company come to an in depth yesterday when he landed a one-year, $15MM contract with the Tigers. In accordance with a report from Chris McCosky of The Detroit Information, nevertheless, Torres had multi-year gives on the desk that he turned down in favor of signing with Detroit. McCosky goes on to notice that Torres highlighted the Nationals and Angels as groups who made gives to him earlier than he signed with the Tigers, whereas the incumbent Yankees didn’t make him a proposal.
“I’ve obtained nice buddies there, nice communication with your complete group,” Torres stated of his longtime membership. “I really feel happy with myself for being with the Yankees for seven years, however now I’m with Detroit and simply actually pleased they gave me the chance to play subsequent yr. I feel they produce other priorities and I’m not on the listing. I’m good.”
It’s not essentially a significant shock that the Yankees opted to not make an try to carry again Torres. The 28-year-old joined the membership previous to his MLB debut as a part of the commerce that despatched Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs on the 2016 commerce deadline and debuted with the membership again in 2018. After back-to-back All-Star seasons in 2018 and ’19, Torres’s manufacturing took a step backwards. He’s slashed simply .261/.332/.411 (109 wRC+) whereas enjoying common to beneath common protection at second base. It’s stable sufficient manufacturing for an enormous league common however a far cry from the numbers the Yankees certainly hoped they have been getting when their consensus top-5 prospect in baseball posted a 123 wRC+ within the first two seasons of his large league profession.
Torres really started to look one thing extra like his early-career self in 2023, when he slashed a robust .273/.347/.453 (120 wRC+) and put up 3.6 fWAR. Sadly, although, he adopted that up with a lackluster 2024 season that noticed his wRC+ drop down to only 104, the second-lowest determine of his profession. That weak total quantity is thanks largely to a gradual begin to the season, as Torres hit simply .215/.289/.248 in his first 32 video games of the season. From Could 2 onward, nevertheless, he slashed a way more respectable .268/.341/.412 (115 wRC+), together with a superb .292/.361/.419 (124 wRC+) after the All-Star break.
That robust end wasn’t sufficient to save lots of his position with the Yankees, nevertheless, because the membership had already traded for Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the commerce deadline over the summer season. Whereas Chisholm shifted to 3rd base in deference to Torres down the stretch, the Yankees have eyed potential third base additions corresponding to Alex Bregman and Nolan Arenado reasonably than a reunion with Torres as they think about transferring Chisholm again to his pure place. Even so, Torres’s wonderful numbers late within the season grabbed the eye of some golf equipment except for the Tigers, with Torres himself highlighting the Nationals and Angels as groups who confirmed curiosity in him this winter.
Each golf equipment have been beforehand reported to have curiosity in Torres this winter, so it’s hardly a shock that both membership made him a proposal. With that being stated, Torres’s means to stay at his pure place of second base with the Tigers might have made them a extra engaging possibility than both D.C. or Anaheim. The Nationals have been explicitly occupied with Torres as a 3rd baseman given the presence of Luis García Jr. on the keystone, whereas the Angels at present have Luis Rengifo penciled in as their on a regular basis second baseman. It’s unclear whether or not Angels brass have been hoping to maneuver Torres to 3rd base as nicely or in the event that they’d have as an alternative had Rengifo take up the super-utility position he’s dealt with usually all through his profession, however the Tigers transferring Colt Keith to first base in deference to Torres certainly made it straightforward for the 28-year-old to really feel snug that he would be capable to put his greatest foot ahead with the membership this yr earlier than returning to free company subsequent winter.
With Torres now off the board, the Angels and Nationals should look elsewhere in the event that they hope to improve their infield combine this winter. Washington already landed first baseman Nathaniel Lowe in commerce with the Rangers earlier this week however might additionally stand to make an improve on the scorching nook. The Angels, in the meantime, have been linked to a number of third base choices starting from identified commerce candidates like Nolan Arenado and Alec Bohm to extra stunning choices like Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Apart from these commerce market prospects, the third base market in free company is led by Bregman but in addition contains lower-tier choices like Yoan Moncada and Josh Rojas.
