9:03 am: It’s a one-year, $15MM deal, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. Torres is expected to be Detroit’s primary second baseman.
8:44 am: Tigers and free agent infielders Gleyber Torres According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post , the two sides have reached an agreement on the contract. Torres is represented by Octagon.
Torres, who turned 28 earlier this month, has worn Yankees pinstripes his entire major league career to date. The once-touted top prospect looked like a breakout star in 2019, hitting 38 home runs in just 144 games, but Torres eventually became a solid regular at second base. , rather than the shortstop he appears to be on the verge of becoming a superstar. Since his stellar 2019 MLB Juice Ball season, Torres has slashed .261/.332/.411. As measured by wRC+ (weighted for home and league scoring environments in a given season), that’s about 9% higher than average.
Halfway through the 2024 season, Torres is set to have his worst performance of his career. Through his first 80 games, he hit .215/.294/.333 (81 wRC+) with a strikeout rate of 23.9%, which was well above the 19.3% mark in his previous five seasons. However, Torres turned things around in late June, rebounding to a .298/.365/.421 slash line and significantly increasing his strikeout rate to 17.3% in games.
Torres stepped into the Detroit infield but lacked any real certainty. Colt KeithAfter a poor start to his rookie season, he hit .285/.330/.429 in 445 games and appeared to be the only other infield lock. He plays second base in 2024 but also has hot corner experience. However, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press writes that the organization is reluctant to play Keith at third due to concerns about Keith’s right shoulder injury. Keith has already seen reps at first base, and while he has yet to play first base in the pros, he could get further work there this spring if a position change is possible.
at the same time, Javier Baez Signed for three more seasons at $24 per year, but he’s been pushed out of a starting role and will eventually be a release candidate if he doesn’t at least bounce back to some degree (though the Tigers said this winter they’d still see Baez’s character in “25”). former number one scholar Spencer Torkelson Hit 32 home runs in 2023, but struggled in the 2024 season and has yet to establish himself as a major league regular. Trey Sweeney Showed a major-league-ready glove at shortstop, but went hitless in 36 major-league games in his debut late last year. best prospect Jess Jung He drew a lot of walks (16%) in 94 games late last season, but could be ticketed for triple-A work or (presumably) some left field opportunities. Matt Wehrling While he can also play in the outfield, he can also be used in the hot corner.
A plethora of infield options, even if many of them are unproven, gives the Tigers some flexibility in how they approach the remainder of the offseason. Young players like Sweeney and especially Jung would receive considerable trade benefits. Torkelson is a viable change-up candidate, especially if the Tigers do plan on giving Keith a big role at first base. Torkelson could still consider a first base/DH combination, but he’d be hard-pressed to do so after hitting .221/.300/.392 in his first 361 major league games.
Tigers have been linked to free agent third baseman Alex Bregmanthough it would be a much bigger signing than they have ever made under current president of baseball operations Scott Harris. Some of that connection is definitely due to the presence of former Astros captain AJ Hinch in the Detroit dugout. Petzold reported earlier this week that Bregman has become a priority for the Tigers, but the addition of Torres brings more sway to the infield mix. A fit could still emerge, especially if the Tigers are keen on trading for a player like Jung for rotation help.
As far as payroll goes, there’s no reason to think the Tigers can’t add another big player with the addition of Torres. They entered the offseason with only Baez, Keith and Kenta Maeda A guaranteed deal for the upcoming season. Torres and other free agent picks Alex Cobb According to projections from RosterResource, the team’s salary is expected to reach $109MM. That’s a far cry from the team’s hit payroll of $200 million since 2017. ) has also authorized a payroll of up to $135 million in recent seasons (2022).
There will be more to come.
