Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris met with reporters this afternoon as the team finalized a one-year deal. Gleyber Torres. The team provided a 16-minute video of the media session.
Harris confirmed the Tigers will play Torres at second base. Colt Keith Will move to first base. Harris said Keith may return to Cornerstone in the coming years, but noted that “Our best team in 2025 will be Gleyber at second base and Colt at first base.Keith spent his entire ’24 season at second base, where he played nearly 1,100 innings as a rookie.
Keith’s defensive record has been mixed. Statcast rates him as a slightly above-average second baseman. The defensive run save was much less enthusiastic, estimating him as eight points below par. Scouting reports peg the 6-foot-2, 211-pound infielder as a bat-first player. Keith may be a capable cornerstone defender, but is unlikely to develop into a Gold Glove winner.
That was the youngster’s first full season as a second baseman. Keith was drafted as the third baseman and continued to play hot corner until midway through the ’23 season. Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press wrote this morning that the Tigers were reluctant to move Keith back to third base due to concerns about a previous labrum injury in his pitching shoulder.
Keith’s bat guaranteed him a spot in the starting lineup. The left-handed hitter posted a slash line of .260/.309/.380 with 13 home runs. The numbers were weighed down by a poor first few weeks. Keith was hitting .154/.222/.165 at the end of April. Since early May, he’s slashed .282/.328/.426 in 457 games. Keith excels against any handed pitcher. He should be in the lineup against nearly every right-handed pitcher. Captain AJ Hinch can protect him from some lefties, but the Tigers are unlikely to relegate Keith to a strict platoon role.
If the Tigers aren’t willing to let Keith play the left side of the infield, the Torres trade effectively forces him to play first base. Torres has been a full-time second baseman since the Yankees moved him from shortstop in 2022. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported last night — before Torres signed with Detroit — that the infielder turned down Washington because he didn’t want to change positions.
Between the infield reshuffle and some early offseason rumors that the Tigers might pursue a veteran first baseman, there’s reason to wonder if the former No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson Still has a spot on the list. Not surprisingly, Harris publicly stated that this was still the case. Detroit’s front office leader said he spoke with Torkelson before the Tigers announced the signing of Torres. “My message to Toke is: “If you have a big offseason and a big spring training, you have a role on this team. This team needs more right-handed strength, We’ve seen Trafigura do this in the past,” Harris said.
The Tigers have been looking to hit right-handed hitting since the start of the offseason. Torres solves that problem to some extent, although he’s more of a solid hitter than a great hitter. His 38 home runs in 2019 certainly seemed like an outlier. Torres hit 24 and 25 home runs in 2022 and ’23, respectively. This year that number dropped to 15, in part because of a cold April and he didn’t hit a home run.
Torkelson hit 31 homers in 2023 with a .233/.313/.446 slash line. Instead, he stumbled to a .219/.295/.374 line with 10 home runs in 92 games — a struggle that led the Tigers to option Torkelson to Triple-A Torre for a time. many. An environment-changing deal still seems a distinct possibility.
Carey Carpenter Should get the majority of playing time at designated hitter. Carpenter, a left-hander, will be in the lineup at DH or corner outfield against all right-handers. He’ll likely be protected against lefties, but using Torkelson as a short-side volleyball bat with limited defensive value isn’t a great use of a roster spot. Harris said today that the Tigers don’t consider Torkelson a candidate for third base or corner outfield reps, although he thinks “With DH home plate appearances and first base opportunities, he still has plenty of home plate plate appearances.“
Justin Henry Malloya right-handed hitter, is also in the DH/first base combo. Malloy has been a high OBP bat in the minors. As a rookie, he hit 8 home runs in 71 MLB games and hit just .203/.291/.366. He still has all the minor league options, but he’s another hitter with no obvious defensive ability and a limited major league record.
The Tigers are one of a handful of teams recently linked to top unsigned position players, Alex Bregman. While Torres’ signing won’t directly impact third base, it will deepen the infield more broadly. Harris declined to comment on Bregman because the CBA prohibits team personnel from revealing whether they are in or out of specific free agents.
He said there will be more changes, while saying he’s encouraged by how the roster is shaping up. “thoriumThe list is not complete yet. It’s not even 2025 yet. There is still some time in the offseason to flesh out our roster. But when I look at our team right now, this is the deepest we’ve ever been — on both sides of the ball.,” Harris said.
since signing Alex Cobbthe Tigers downplayed their desire for another starting pitcher. The exception is their pursuit of NPB stars Riki Saakidue to his international amateur status, his signing bonus will be limited to less than 10MM. Harris said the Tigers have made an initial presentation to Wasserman’s Sasaki representatives. He said the Tigers are awaiting a response from Sasaki’s camp to determine whether they will hold an in-person meeting after the holidays.
Agent Joel Wolf suggested at the winter meetings that Sasaki, who held preliminary meetings with several teams last week, would begin narrowing the field after returning to Japan for vacation. The Tigers seem an unlikely landing spot for Sasaki, but they would certainly welcome the opportunity to pitch to the 23-year-old right-hander.
