While the MLB offseason has slowed down a bit after the early excitement of free agents Juan Soto and Max Fried signing massive contracts with the New York Mets and Yankees, respectively, the action has started to pick back up.
On Friday, the Detroit Tigers became the latest team to get into the mix when they agreed to a one-year contract with free-agent infielder Gleyber Torres.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post had the news first.
Breaking: Gleyber Torres to Tigers
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 27, 2024
Shortly after Heyman’s report, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers tacked on that the deal is for one year and worth $15 million.
Free agent Gleyber Torres is in agreement with the Detroit Tigers on a 1-year, $15 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Torres had a great ALCS after a bit of down year on the power side for the Yankees. He’ll start at 2b for Detroit. @JonHeyman was first with the agreement.
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) December 27, 2024
Torres was initially signed by the Chicago Cubs as an international free agent in 2013.
The Venezuelan native never appeared in a game for Chicago, though. He was part of a trade at the 2016 trade deadline that saw the Cubs trade him to the New York Yankees as part of the deal that sent closer Aroldis Chapman to Chicago.
Like the Cubs, Torres immediately became a top prospect for the Yankees.
He made his MLB debut in late April 2018 and was New York’s driving offensive force in May. Torres hit over .300 with nine home runs and 24 RBI in May to be named Rookie of the Month. He was named to the 2018 American League All-Star team as a rookie but had to miss the game with an injury. He finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting behind two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani and Yankees teammate Miguel Andujar.
Torres followed his rookie season with an even more impressive sophomore campaign. He was named to the All-Star team again en route to a 38-home run season, joining Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio as the only Yankees to hit 30 or more home runs in a season before turning 22.
Since then, Torres has struggled to return to the form of his first two seasons. From 2020 to 2024, he hit .261 with 76 home runs and struck out nearly 500 times.
Torres has also been a question mark on defense at times. His 106 career errors place him 16th among active MLB players. But he’s played fewer innings than every player ahead of him. He led the AL in errors in 2023 and 2024.
The one-year deal offers Torres a fresh start and the chance to send Detroit back to the playoffs. It would mark their first back-to-back postseason trips in a decade.
