The Tigers announced Friday that they’ve signed free agent infielder Gleyber Torres to a one-year, $15MM contract. Torres, an Octagon client, is expected to be Detroit’s regular second baseman in the upcoming season. The Tigers, one of the rare teams to publicly disclose contract terms themselves, added that Torres’ contract has a one-time, $500K assignment bonus (in the event that he’s traded to another club).
Torres, who turned 28 earlier this month, has spent his entire big league career to date in Yankee pinstripes. The once-vaunted top prospect looked like a breakout star in 2019 when he socked 38 home runs in just 144 games, but Torres wound up settling in as a solid regular at second base rather than the superstar shortstop he appeared to be on the cusp of becoming in ’19. Since that stellar 2019 campaign — which came in MLB’s juiced-ball season — Torres has slashed .261/.332/.411. That’s about 9% better than average, by measure of wRC+ (which weights for home park and league run-scoring environment in a given season).
The 2024 season was shaping up to be a career-worst showing for Torres at the halfway point. Through his first 80 games, he turned in an anemic .215/.294/.333 slash (81 wRC+) with a 23.9% strikeout rate that was well north of the 19.3% mark he’d posted over the prior five seasons. Torres righted the ship in late June, however, and rebounding to the tune of a .298/.365/.421 slash with a much-improved 17.3% strikeout rate down the stretch.
It’s perhaps possible that Torres could’ve landed a multi-year deal at a lower rate, but given his age and track record, it’s not a shock to see him take a pure one-year pillow deal. MLBTR predicted back in November that he’d ink a two-year deal with an opt-out, as the priority for him always seemed likely to be getting back to the market next winter. The demand seemingly wasn’t there to push to that range, however, and Torres will head to Comerica Park as an eminently reasonable one-year roll of the proverbial dice. With a strong enough showing, he’ll have the added benefit of being a potential qualifying offer candidate for the Tigers next offseason.
Torres steps into a Detroit infield that’s lacking in any real certainty. Colt Keith, who hit .285/.330/.429 in 445 plate appearances after a terrible start to his rookie season, appears to be the only other infield lock. He played second base in 2024 but has experience at the hot corner as well. Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press writes, however, that the organization prefers not to play Keith at third due to some injury concern regarding his right shoulder. Keith has taken reps at first base, and while he’s yet to play there in a professional game, he could get further work there this spring in the event of a potential position shift.
Meanwhile, Javier Baez is signed for three more seasons at $24MM per year, but he’s played himself out of a starting role and will eventually be a release candidate if he can’t rebound to at least some extent (though the Tigers have suggested this winter that they still see a role for Baez in ’25). Former top pick Spencer Torkelson belted 32 homers in 2023 but flailed through an ugly 2024 campaign and has yet to establish himself as a viable big league regular. Trey Sweeney showed a big league-ready glove at shortstop but didn’t hit in 36 big league games during last year’s second-half debut. Top prospect Jace Jung drew heaps of walks (16%) in 94 plate appearances late last season but is probably ticketed for Triple-A work or (speculatively speaking) some exposure to left field. Matt Vierling could factor in at the hot corner as well, though he can play in the outfield, too.
The glut of infield options, even with many of them unproven, gives the Tigers some flexibility with regard to how they handle the rest of the offseason. Young players like Sweeney and particularly Jung would command considerable trade interest. Torkelson stands as a viable change-of-scenery candidate, especially if the Tigers indeed plan to give Keith a prominent role at first base. Torkelson could still factor into the first base/DH mix, but he’s hardly a lock to do so after hitting .221/.300/.392 through his first 361 big league games.
The Tigers have been connected to free agent third baseman Alex Bregman, though that’d be a considerably larger signing than they’ve made at any point under current president of baseball operations Scott Harris. Some of the link there is surely due to the presence of former Astros skipper A.J. Hinch in the Detroit dugout. Petzold reported earlier in the week that Bregman has become more of a priority for the Tigers as the offseason has worn on, but the addition of Torres clouds the infield mix a bit more. A fit could still come together, particularly if the Tigers are keen on moving someone like Jung in a deal for rotation help.
In terms of payroll, there’s no reason to think the Tigers can’t make another prominent addition after adding Torres. They entered the offseason with only Baez, Keith and Kenta Maeda on guaranteed deals for the upcoming season. Torres and fellow free agent pickup Alex Cobb have pushed the team to a projected a $109MM payroll, per RosterResource’s projections. That’s nowhere near the team’s franchise-record $200MM payroll from 2017. And while that level of spending came under the ownership of the late Mike Ilitch, even Ilitch’s son, Chris, has authorized payrolls as high as $135MM in recent seasons (2022).
Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported that Torres had agreed to a deal with the Tigers. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers first reported the terms and that Torres was expected to be the Tigers’ starting second baseman.
Interesting, they’ve gotta be out on Bregman now tho
Wow, Gleyber playing next to Bregman?
That would be something if they signed Bregman too.
Not shocking, at all. Hope Gleyber got them to overpay on years and dollars.
This is so weird. Tork is out. Colt to first?
Someone, please! Anyone! Explain what Harris is thinking! Keith is the only player signed long term. He was fine at 2B in his first year at the position. At some point, doesn’t there need to be a plan?!
This is great lol its funny 75% of fans are saying the sameething about thier teams and gms..depending on which article you click on
What’s wrong with that signing? One year of Torres at 2B and then shift Jung back to his natural position at 2B next year. The plan seems pretty clear…he’s said it since he arrived…let the young guys play.
No argument from me just amusing most fans think thier respective gms have no plan
Lee, being someone Harris actually acquired, will take over 2B. Jung is from Avila. Still, why mess with the one player that’s signed long term? He did fine at 2B. What’s wrong with the signing is that the Tigers have a ton of people who can play 2B, and unless you think Vierling should be the full time 3B, no one for 3B. They added a player, but still have the same number of needs. Considering the Tigers lineup need for RH power, I would rather Torkelson in the lineup than Torres, and that seems to be the choice Harris is looking at.
Leaving Kieth’s position ambiguous leaves the door open for further additions in those spots. Similar to the Yankees and Jazz.
They talked about trying Lee at 3B and I wouldn’t be surprised if they still went after Bergman or even Kim. Eventually Rainer may end up there is what they discussed during the draft.
To a minor league deal i hope
aka the Javy Baez sequel
He’ll be signed for less years and total money.
Bad comp. Torres knows how to walk.
I can’t believe Baez is getting $24 mil for 3 more
first
1B
Yankees fan here, GL Gleyber!!!
Unless against the Yankees.
He started out atrocious at the plate last season but really thrived batting leadoff in the 2nd half. Best of luck to him.
somewhere. gleyber could play 2b moving Keith to 3b, or gleyber at SS and Keith stays at 2b. it’s Jung or Sweeney who likely gets squeezed here since they have 3 options remaining.
Tork still has an option left too.
Keith is not playing 3rd. He is playing 1B in spring training. Harris has said this. The shoulder concerns with Keith are very real, and he wasn’t great there to begin with.
Didn’t see this coming. Were there any rumors about Torres and the Tigers? This could pay off more than a huge spend on Bregman. Torres has an underrated bat and is decent enough with the glove.
Now if the Tigers still spend enormous money on Bregman, that would be the surprise of the offseason. But who knows?
There were a couple articles but all talking about hypothetical fits.
That is a fair assessment of Torres.
He tends to have extended hot and cold streaks at the plate. But overall, a decent hitter.
His biggest issue is that he makes mental mistakes too often and tends to flub easy plays from time to time.
700 OPS in 24 is decent? Ok,fanboy
His 2024 batting line was 4% above league average. I would say that is pretty much the definition of “decent”.
9 points better than average, says right there in the article, champ.
265/344/441 and 113 WRC+ and 112 OPS+ for his career so looks like the article is off
4% better than average in 2024
9% better than average since 2019
13% better than average in his career
Since the juiced ball year, got it
It was a juiced ball for EVERYBODY. So being “above average” is still relevant..
Finally got him after turning the Yankees down in trade that would have sent Fulmer to New York.
Thank God. Bye bye Gleyber Good Luck to you. Let’s go Yankees!!! Bregman to Yankees possibly
You won’t be so happy Gleyber is gone, when he wins Comeback Player of the Year in 2025. And what’s our plan for second base, besides not having one? Peraza? Biggest bust in the last 10 years for the Yankees. Cabrera is only slightly better. Maybe we can put old man DJ at second, and watch him hit .135 with 2 home runs for the season. Cashman better sign Bregman, so they can move Jazz to second, otherwise this will come back to haunt us.
Yankees would need to move quite a bit of salary to make room for any 3B, especially Bregman. They are in the final tax penalty, 110%! If Bregman signs for $30MM/yr, that would be a total of $63MM every year they are over. Don’t see that happening.
No more Gleyber Day in the Bronx
Next article will be Red Sox, Mets or Jays sign Bregman!
If Bregman goes to Mets, where does Pete end up?
If Bregman goes to Red Sox, they will face even more pressure to move Casas or Yoshida to balance the roster.
The Jays are making the most sense for Bregman position wise, unless the Jays would seriously contemplate a move to third base for Vlad
Moving Vlad to 3B would be a shortsighted disaster. Agree that Bregman to the Jays makes the most sense positionally. I just think the Jays should pivot into rebuild as they have a fairly old and flawed team with a weak system. I don’t see how they keep up with an emerging Boston and make ground on the Yankees and Orioles.
If Bregman goes to the Red Sox, Yoshida should be gone. Casas is a better hitter and is young enough he might actually become an average defensive 1B. Devers to DH.
Pillow contract in Seattle?
Javy and Gleyber. Twins!
I know some folks around here have pointed out how much I diss the Tigers, but with signings like this it’s proof they have to scrape the bottom of the barrel and overpay for free agents.
I forget who it was, but a couple seasons back some big free agent was offered the most money by the Tigers, by a wide margin, and turned them down because they didn’t want to play for them and wanted to be on a more competitive, relevant club.
I loved it when they had Magglio, when they had young Verlander, etc. but it’s been a long time since then.
I have no feelings other than I’m glad Boston didn’t sign him.
These guys who can suddenly turn in on in their walk years remind me that they’re not always playing with 100% effort. Unless you’re telling me that’s just a coincidence?
Good news for the Tigers then cause its a one year deal!
It’s confirmation bias. Bregman and Alonso didn’t have great walk years. Neither did Torres at a tier below them. And Bellinger has had a couple of walk years.
Where’s the dividing line between effort and focus? Money sure adds focus…is it different, I dunno.
It’s just a coincidence in nearly every case.
By random chance a player will do at least a hair better in their walk year over the previous year half the time. Very slightly less than half once you factor in the aging curve.
Like everything else we actually study these things.
‘Does better in his walk year,’ like nearly everything else you think you know, is false.
Gleyber has the worst baseball IQ Ive seen. Adios.
Maybe he will play better in a more friendly environment
Or maybe he’ll play worse without the incentive of a volatile crowd.
A decade later and Gleyber and Javy end up on the same infield after all
If Javy gets some reps there.
I think I’m one of the few NYY fans that wouldn’t have minded Gleyber back, but it never felt like the Yanks ever did so I resigned myself to him leaving as soon as the Series was over. Good luck, man!
Yeah…. I am fully convinced that Cashman had Gleyber in mind as a back up plan on a one year deal if they couldn’t comfortably figure out something else and Gleyber was stuck waiting for a decent offer, but even that seemed like a worst case scenario for the Yankees.
I was reminded yesterday of Gleyber’s most costly base running blunders and that alone is too much of a risk- that’s largely instinct and natural reaction a bit more than it is training and experience.
As much as I liked him, as open as I was to the hype, if I wasn’t being sentimental at all I’d consider him a massive risk and someone built more to be a high profile shiny object on a team out of contention or a team who had to get desperate and overpay undesirable free agents to sign with them.
@Trill – He would have accepted the QO for sure if the Yankees offered it. I didn’t expect he would get more than 15-17M.
I mean, yeah, of course. I’m not even talking about that- they can not extend a QO and still try to work out another deal with a free agent, though, right?
I would have been fine giving him Gleyber one final chance given his late season surge. With that being said, I think pursuing Kim and focusing on defense as a way to aid the development of our young arms makes more sense.
Kim is a solid defender, lefty, good speed etc. Wouldn’t mind him for 2b or 3b. He won’t earn more than Torres 15M though he would require a multi-year deal.
Do people not realize Kim is projected to miss half the season?
@stymeedone – Yes, but plenty of teams sign guys that will miss time…usually it is pitchers though.
If his arm looks fine and he is signed to a longer-term deal like they are projecting what does it matter? Kim is a great player on both sides if the ball.
Everyone talks like they expect Kim on opening day.
I think I read May at the earliest?
No one has projected Kim to miss half the season. The following is from the San Diego Tribune:
“Kim, who is expected to elect free agency, is shooting to be in games by mid-April or perhaps May.”
wwww.sandiegouniontribune.com/2024/10/12/padres-da…
sandiegouniontribune.com/2024/10/12/padres-daily-q…
His agent said that. His GM said he would not be able to start baseball activities until April.
Do you have a link to confirm it? The only agent related news I’ve seen about Kim all offseason is that he switched to the Boras corporation. In fact, I haven’t seen any concrete reporting on his recovery since he underwent surgery. That includes Preller’s comments in late October, which were purely speculative.
It was a zoom call with reporters. I am sure it’s still on their website or on YouTube.
Why would the GMs comments be speculative but the agents are not? Seems to me you have that backwards. Since Kim was still a member of their team in October the GM would have the medical reports and the agent may not have. The team was not under any obligation to release them.
Many people on MLB Network have been of the opinion that Kim won’t sign until after spring training has started and he can show where he is in the recovery process.
If he was a pitcher and had that surgery we would have just said he would miss all of 2025. Thinking he will be ready and able to make throws from shortstop by the beginning of the season makes no sense to me.
No one here has claimed Kim would be ready for the start of the season; I pushed back against Stymeedone’s assertion that he was “projected to miss half the season” (his wording, not mine).
I think you’re confusing Boras with Preller, who held a digital press conference in late October. His exact wording was “We gotta kind of see how he responds to the surgery and where that goes”
Again, can you please provide a link to the alleged press conference held by Boras? I’ve yet to see a single concrete update on Kim’s recovery.
x.com/973TheFanSD/status/1848445970486595802
I was skeptical of what Jack Curry was saying but he’s often right.
The Yankees could’ve totally matched the deal if they wanted him back.
GL to Gleyber!
I’m a Yankees fan that WANTED Gleyber back. I think it’s a huge mistake to let him go, at only 28 years old. If we had a great alternate plan, that’s different, but we don’t. It better not be Peraza The Bust. I wish Mr. Torres all the best, and am grateful for many years of good service. Once he wins Comeback Player of the Year in 2025, Cashman will want to sign him back for much more money.
1 year/$15M I honestly think this was the best offer he got for his purposes. It’s a very token raise on his final year of arbitration and only for one year, which was either the best he could do or the only serious offer.
It’s sorta tough to land a big deal on his final season there. If he does better a bigger deal (3-4 years) can surely still happen. He just turned 28.
I mean that is clearly what he is hoping for… that he is so amazing in Detroit that someone looks at his overall numbers, his age and he gets like 5 years/$70M or 5 years/$125M or something coming off his 2025 season- or the Tigers and him “like each other so much” they make it a longer pact.
I dunno, though…. I think Gleyber is destined to try and stitch together 1-2 year deals and hope his salary doesn’t dwindle down to nothing.
I think he can still receive a qualifying offer from the Tigers next year, which would be be for like $22M or whatever- and Gleyber would 100% take that if offered it. That’s the position he is in, unfortunately.
The Tigers signing Cobb and Gleyber to one year deals with the hope they can flip them at the deadline for prospects. One needs to stay healthy and the other have a decent year. This is how we operate now.
Both signings make sense. The Tigers are deep in the pitching department and Cobb adds some innings to their starting corps. Torres playing 2B for one year likely means Jung is getting moved back to his natural 2B and Keith to 1B. That could still leave space to sign Bregman or Kim. I wonder what this means for Tork?
I think Tork is part of a trade package for a starting pitcher, what team is confident they can take on a project who can’t hit a fastball?
Tork (and a couple of prospects) to the Marlins for Sandy Alcantara…
Agree Sweet Lou. Tigers operate like a small market despite being in a nearly midsize area and an owner towards the top wealth compared to other owners. It is why I wonder if they deal Skubal this offseason or next offseason.
Nah. Tigers in 2025 post-season mix, probably within a couple games of winning division.
Fish would want much more for Alcantara, like two top MLB overall 50 prospects plus a journeyman player
How about Tork with Baez for low prospect to get Baez’ contract off the books. Marlins need to add salary.
I think all of those young infielders are going to have to hit their way in. Three of them still have options. I’m not so sure about the pitching though, I don’t think we go 10 starters deep… I would love to see a couple more veterans starting pitcher signed…
Maybe he liked what the Tigers can offer.
As a red Sox fan I am terrified that means we are getting Bregman. Would kill our future
Why? They’s still be well cost controlled for their revenues.
Bregman is down to so few suitors he may now be looking at shorter deals with opt outs.
Money aside bregman reminds me a ton of mike lowell only better stats and younger..but proven winner and clubhouse leader..both were said to have bad contracts and on the decline..tbh this dude would be great in boston assuming you move yoshida so you can have devers/casas split time between 1b/dh ..let campbell or grissom or hamilton fight it out for 2b
Surprisingly low deal for Gleybar given Hoskins got so much more last year coming off of injury.
Curious who the Bregman front runner is. Is it the Blue Jays? Yankees and Red Sox both seem like longer shots given money spent elsewhere already. The Mets make sense if they are willing to let Alonso walk (but if the Mets leave the Alonso bidding, who is left there?).
The game of musical chairs seems like it’s getting close to ending and the cash pool for FAs is starting to dry up a bit.
It could still be the Tigers if Keith moves to 1B instead and the ship out Tork. Doubtful though.
That seems to be the direction they are going. However, moving Keith back to 3B seems the best fit. His arm seemed fine. They still don’t have a prospect at 3B, and Lee should be ready for 2B before the seasons over. Torkelson could easily put up a .240 ave with 30+ HRs/ or .200 with 20, but the reward seems worth the risk. Its too early to give up on him.
The Gleyber vs Hoskins comp escaped me. Thanks for sharing!
so the Yankees wouldn’t even give him a chance and pay the same amount for one year? He was finding a good spot being the leadoff
The Yanks don’t need anymore slow, low IQ l, bad defensive players with beer bellys
Or low IQ lazy mean fans
Bet I’m not as lazy as gleybor. The truth makes me “mean” maybe sports aren’t your thing princess
@Ariana – There’s no chance he ever would have accepted 15M for one year from the Yankees.
we should have given him the QO and gotten a draft pick
Gleyber would have accepted the QO within 5 seconds.
I’d have risked keeping him for one more year at $21.5 million
He signed for less than $50m. The pick the Yankees would have gotten would been a 4th rounder or something.
I believe the $50M threshold for a better comp
pick only applies for revenue sharing teams. Yankees are not that and they were a luxury taxpayer for 2024 so they’d get a low comp pick for any player who signs elsewhere after rejecting a QO, regardless of the size of the contract that player signs.
You’d think baseball could make this process way simpler. It all sounds so ridiculous.
• Competitive Balance Tax payors: If the team that loses the player went over the CBT threshold, the compensation pick will be placed after the fourth round has been completed. The value of the player’s contract doesn’t matter in this case.
As Doron said- he would have accepted that before they could finish the sentence.
Gleyber is not dumb- he’s very aware of his issues, of his market (or lack thereof) and that QO would have been a financial godsend for him- plus he would have kept playing on the Yankees, which would’ve been a sign they’d be open to signing him long term.
Even if they pulled the “we think you’re worth 4 years/$60M but we really want to give you the chance to keep playing with us long term and we’d love the luxury tax relief, so we’d like to offer you 7 years/$59.5M w/ a $500k buyout on a 8th year at $12.5M” like they did with Aaron Hicks, Gleyber would have signed that deal in an instant, just to stay a Yankee.
One year at $15MM?? How can anyone be mad at that?
I’m kind of in the “this is fine” camp. Now go get Bregman,.
Bregman to the Mariners
I was getting weary reading through all these comments and then I came to yours and it made me laugh out loud. Thank you.
Maybe the Jays will end up landing Bregman just by process of elimination, but more likely they either sign Moncada or trade for Baty once the Mets sign Bregman
Whatever you want to say about his defense is probably true, but the Yankees lineup is worse without him and there aren’t many options outside of a Bregman that can substantially improve it.
All the haters who said they didn’t want Soto can kick rocks, plan B which started off well, sucks.
You would think Gleyber would have some extra motivation to show he is determined to improve his defense, If his new team sees the effort that will go along way to endear him to his new teammates and future teams and an boost to potential earnings. Nobody will expect perfection.
Hopefully it will energize and also get Baez to take it up a gear or 2. appeal to his pride, he is getting some good $.
Success breads on itself and CAN be Contagious.
GO Tigers! We need an army to beat LAD
I think Gleyber’s passion for a given team is gone and he’s just trying to make hay while the sun shines, so to speak… his window to convince teams to pay him low eight figures or high seven figures is a small window and he’s gotta capitalize and get lucky right now.
I think if this goes well- and I mean like in the discussion for MVP well and he’d course corrected on defense and base running acumen- he’d still be looking at offers of like 2 years/$50M or 3 years/$100M at best and more likely 2 years/$40M to 3 years/$59.25M at best, etc. which are all great at an individual level and there’s always people in this comment section who’ll say like “how can players scoff at offers like that- do you know how much money that is? How many generations of their family that could take care of?” ignoring the reality of the game’s economics and the fact that once upon a time Gleyber was the type of player to be considering 10 year/$300M to 15 years/$450M level offers- and now he will be *very* *lucky* to achieve 8 years/$140M in total free agent salaries across like 3-5 separate deals he scrapes together with his salary yo-yo’ing base on what he did the previous go around until he’s virtually shut out at age 35 and retires sort of by league decree due to lack of substantial offers.
Not really. Gleyber’s OPS+ was a league-average 101. It all depends on who the team decides to replace him with.
Losing Soto stings but Cashman’s plan B so far has been stellar and he’s not done yet. Soto gambled on himself and he won and now gets to choose his likely HoF cap. So be it.
Good move. One year deal.
Anything in the contract that penalizes him for everytime he gets thrown out on base due to his atrocious baserunning/baseball acumen?
1 year at $15M… not a bad deal for the Tigers
Is good for Detroit. Any potentially impact bat on a one year deal that doesn’t break the bank works.
15 million for a league average second baseman. Good deal if you can get someone to pay it
He was the best 2b on the market
The Tigers didn’t need another second baseman…
It makes sense for one year. Jung can move back to his natural 2B next year. I’ll be interested to see if they move Keith to 3B or 1B and if 1B what they do with Tork.
A career 112 OPS+ and a glove that’s serviceable on a low-risk low-cost (by MLB standards) one-year deal. Not a bad pickup at all.
He has a glove. I don’t know if it’s serviceable.
Baseball Reference and Fangraphs both rate Torres as so-so but far from terrible with the glove. That agrees with the eye test for me, just from what I’ve seen of him on the Extra Innings package. No gold glove but he makes the routine plays.
Is there anyone in MLB who doesn’t make the routine plays?
the Yankees in the World Series
he’s had a positive career dWAR at 2B
2024 Defensive Runs Saved -11 Outs Above Average -7
is that “serviceable” ?
1-year deal makes sense for him, he’ll still be one of the younger FAs on the market next year at 29 and he needs to show he still has power. Only 15 HRs this year and a good amount of those were Yankee Stadium specials.
Eh i’d say only a couple of them were yankee stadium specials. only one in the RF. Hitting 385ft+ opposite field shouldnt be considered an issue. That said, his batting did take a step back
He was often a frustrating player to watch play defense.
Good signing. If he stinks, he’s making less $ than Maeda. If he has a big year he’ll be a top 4 bat in the lineup.
I would assume this slides Keith to 1B. I read somewhere that he was in the 10th percentile in arm strength so I doubt he goes to 3B. I would also think this would put Tork in a Pinch Hit/Platoon/DH role unless he’s traded.
I’d like to see Tork as part of a trade package. I’m willing to risk him being good on another team.
Tork is worth a bag of ⚾️ at this point.
Sold!
Tork will be in Toledo
Or Miami
I rly thought gley would get more interest than a 1 yr deal
What happens to Jace?
He’ll probably shift back to his natural 2B at AAA and replace Torres there next year.
The problem is Lee is slated for 2B at Toledo. Besides, if Jung goes down, who plays 3B, which is still a hole not filled.
Was really worried the Tigers were going to bless him w the Baez special, but 1 for $15 still feels like an overshoot in both years and dollars for a rabbit ball guy. Hate to see this roster clogger leave the Yanks, but knowing Cashman they’ll probably find a washed up 37 year old to replace him
Good, now he can loaf to first base with the Tigers.
Not a huge fan of Gleyber, but I don’t hate this deal. Not unless it’s the only right handed we sign. We need some power from the right side still.
NYG. YANKEE FAN HERE , AS WELL. Not sure what games you watch, but Gleyber is one of the laziest and not exactly smartest players. I have seen in a very long time.. He loafs to first base on batted balls, he nonchalantly gets under flyballs, and then immediately takes his eye off the ball, He boots routine ground balls…etc etc. He is definitely not a winner attitude.
Cubs won the Chapman trade
Howwww lol Yankees got there top prospect and other players for half a year of Chapman I know they would the championship but the Yankees gave up on the season by this point
Good Luck Gleyber!!
Horrible signing. A bad base runner and a major defensive liability anywhere on the diamond. Adds more chaos to an already unsettled infield.
A major step back…
Good move for a team that literally has no offense.
I like that his regular season and post season slash lines are similar. To me, an indication that his mental/emotional approach to every game played is the same. Is he a stud, of course not, but there’s predictable offensive outcome regardless of time of season and importance of the game. 15 mil. Wow. Nice pull Detriot.
As much as I hate to say this, but…I think many/most of his problems stem from the fact that he’s a dullard. His lack of hustle, his zoning out on baserunning, his nonchalant play in the field. And, he’s another guy with a weight problem who seems to have difficulty in getting in/staying in shape. See this as either Hinch gets to him and he’s the AL Comeback player of the year…or he’s a complete flop.
I never really noticed the weight issue, but he really does seem to brain freeze on the bases.
I’ve seen him turn some fantastic long shot defensive plays, I’ve seen him pull out minor miracles playing defense, but the fact that it looks like that for him is a big concern.
I also am uncomfortable with how many times he’s had to change his approach at the plate in order to remain remotely league average productive.
Great physical talent but below-average baseball instincts. When you see little-known utility guys hang around the game for 10+ years, it’s the opposite. With that said, I don’t question Gleyber’s work ethic and he’s been a great teammate. A change of scenery and someone else in his ears is a good thing. He wasn’t bad enough last season to qualify for next year’s AL Comeback ballot.
This is a great signing. Tigers move Keith to 1B, Gleybar plays 2B, and can still sign Bregman to play 3B. Torkelson can spend the entire season at AAA figuring out his swing or lack of …lol… I would then swap out Jace Jung to the Marlins for Sandy Alcantrara. (This trade would be beneficial for both sides). If Gleybar has a good season, which I think he will, Tigers can resign him or put a QO on him after the season and get a high draft pick if he signs elsewhere.
Sweet Dreams Tiger fan……how’s that alternate universe working for you.
Hey Rocky7, me and your mom love the alternate universe
It appears Harris still isn’t ready to commit to winning big. These one year deals (Cobb and now Torres) look like “flip at the deadline for prospects” signings.
I suppose if these 2 guys pan out and the Tiger youngsters play up into July, Harris might keep them then go for a big rental to get the Tigers into the post season. The Tigers have a deep prospect list that could swing a Vlad trade (for instance) that might make a difference.
I kind of doubt it.
To me, it looks like Harris is just going to sit on his prospects and wait for them to grow up. The problem is Greene and Skubal may be FA before it happens.
Yeah- for Gleyber’s sake I hope that happens.
I hope Gleyber’s defense is league average at worst and that he somehow muscles up to like 22 HR’s by the All-Star break and maintains a BA of over .250, an OBP of .350 and some team likes his bat and trades for him during a playoff run and he has a Giancarlo in the ALCS level performance or a Carlos Beltran in 2004 level performance in the post season for some club and that tricks a team I do not care about into handing Gleyber 8 years/$220M or something… because I like the guy, I am rooting for him.
Pretty amazing as to all the comments from folks who haven’t seen his defensive play over extended periods….”league average at worst”…..you’re sadly mistaken…he’s no pariah defensively, but league average would be a good adjective of his abilities defensively……..Yankee fans all liked him, he just got brain freeze too many times in critical situations leading to loses…..
But that break freeze in critical situation was far more often on the base path as a base runner than it was defensively.
Gleyber’s defensive issues could hide in plain sight much of the time, but basically any time he’d get on base everybody would hold their breath and not be shocked when he was the reason they had 2 men on and zero outs to a triple play ending an inning or a man on and 2 outs with a good 2 out hitter at the plate and the inning ended because Gleyber was tagged out leading off and getting doubled up.
That is by far his worst trait and the most egregious flaw as a player and the reason it’s difficult to want him on your team.
No you’re wrong about his baselining being the only screw up….his defense sometimes would go South, and his offense, other than late this year, was built around him trying to go yard on everything…..you would need to watch him over the course of the many seasons since 2018 to understand the flaws in his game…..of course he has upside too, and wish him well in Detroit……
“To understand his flaws, you must go back and rewatch 7 years worth of play footage of Gleyber and even then…”
Torres is not the most nuanced or layered player.
His issues are glaringly obvious and have been since the end of the juiced ball era.
I remember watching some of those 38 home runs that season and being aware of how poor the contact was or how wild the swing was and then the ball would sail out dead center for a home run anyway.
Take that away and Gleyber’s weaknesses as a player have always been blatantly evident by just watching him, you know, play.
But the reality is he’s a professional baseball player, so he’s gonna turn plenty of simple ground outs, pop outs, double plays, etc. successfully while still being woefully below average or of negative defensive value, just like literally every other Major League Baseball player whose defense was or is terrible.
A broken clock is right twice a day, just as a terrible baseball player will do their job correctly if not perfectly a few times a game despite the more common and frequent mistakes they make. Just as a .010 hitter with no power will occasionally hit a home run or go 4-for-4 in a random game.
Skubs is as good as gone. Tigers won’t be willing to pony up the $$ required. If he has another great year, he will be dealt at the TDL. True window isn’t open until ‘27 at the earliest.
I wish Gleyber all the best in Detroit. Truth be told, Kim is a better fit for the Yankees at this point.
For Detroit, his signing checks a lot of boxes. This end the ill-fated experiment of playing both Keith and Jung out of position. Plus, Torres’ extra base power is a great fit for Comerica park.
Unless they move Keith back to 3B, how does this end Keith and Jung from playing out of position? Jung is a 2B, and Keith has never played 1B. Seems Harris is unsure how to proceed.
I suspect this is very much a sign of Tork moving more permanent out or a DH role if he can figure the bat out, and Keith moving to 1B. Colts arm is dead and I personally felt a move to 1B was likely to happen at some point. It also gives ultra flexibility with Torres being able to play SS and 2nd. A good rotation of middle infielder we’ve built.
I doubt this takes us out of the Bregman market as we needbhim at 3rd. Torres declined the Nats offer because they wanted him to play 3rd. If anything this may entice Alex to believe in our direction.
All that said a one year deal is also telling that this may just be a one year bandaid.
Tork either learns how to mash in Toledo or he will bring back nothing in a trade. I have bet on him being a bust before he got his first taste of MLB. I was pleasantly surprised when he hit 32 dingers and thought I was wrong. At this point, it’s very likely he never is anything special.
Jung is too slow for OF. His arm is below average also
I like the signing for Detroit. Torres can play, it’s one year, he can be flipped at the deadline if a contender has a need and the Tigers aren’t competitive.
Exactly, Mikenmn.
The front office is not showing faith they can compete, and is planning on the deadline sell off, again. Wash, rinse, repeat. Its much harder for young players to improve when they have to continually learn a new position. Keith needs the opportunity to just play!
How is signing Torres not trying to compete? Good bat and doesn’t block Jung at 2B. Replacing Tork with Keith who had better stats is not an improvement overall?
Dude. Why do you want the Yankees garbage? For 15 million a year? This is ridiculous. You should be incredibly pissed if you’re a Tigers fan.
They aren’t replacing Torkelson with Keith. They are replacing Torkelson with Torres. Torres does not provide the RH power the Tigers lack. Torkelson might. Meanwhile, the team has invested in Keith, but instead of concentrating solely on his offense this year, he now has to learn a new position! 3B is still a Vierling/Jung/McKinstry/Ibanez fiasco. Maybe even Baez will get some time there.
Adding another 2B was not the solution, and did not fix any of the existing needs.
Torres is a year removed from a 20+ homer season just like Tork is from his 30. The difference is Tork fell off a cliff and Tirres didn’t so getting g him is an upgrade over Tork in the lineup. Too many “mights” with Tork. 3B is not the disaster you are making it out to be even if it ends up as a Jung/Vierling combo. It appears they are still in on Bregman as well. If the infield ends up as Keith, Torres, Sweeney, Bregman that is a very clear upgrade from last year. Even if you sub Jung/Vierling for Bregman it’s an upgrade.
Low risk, medium reward. Gleyber has talent it’s just a matter of whether or not he will reach his potential.
Well, no sour grapes from Yankee fan but…..let me check in with you again when Gleyber uses his $.10 cent head to make another bad play either defensively or offensively on the bases as far as his talent reaching his potential….if he hasn’t reached it by now, what you see is what you get…….the Yankees just tired of his lack of a baseball head, and it always seemed as if he was trying to live his rookie year all over again rather than fitting into a lineup and doing his job……although he did a commendable job in the leadoff slot late in the season for the Yankees……good luck Detroit.
It will be interesting to see if AJ Hinch has any influence on Torres’s baseball brain. No offense to Boone, but he’s had the luxury of managing a roster of highly paid, superstars. He hasn’t had to tinker a lot with his everyday lineup. Boone, IMHO, manages his pitching pretty well.
Hinch, OTOH, especially in Detroit, has had to mix and match. It seems every day is a different lineup. Players have all bought in and it seems to work. Maybe this change of scenery and managerial approach will get Gleyber’s brain to kick in.
Don’t think you can re-wire a baseball brain regardless of manager….all that will happen are the inevitable sit downs after screwing up the same way Boone has done in NY……by the way…HInch had his share of “Superstars” in Houston too…….they may not have been as highly compensated but were regarded across the league as a “star laden lineup”….offensively, defensively, and pitching wise…..
Yeah keep letting Scott Harris and our billionaire owner off the hook. This is incredibly embarrassing for this team.
Solid one year deal. Detroit now has one anchor in the infield and likely isn’t done.
Check in to my comment above….obviously you have not seen Gleyber play on a regular basis…..that anchor in the infield may come back to bite you in the you know what…..
I’ve seen him a fair amount. I’ve definitely seen better but I’ve also seen worse.
If he puts up 2-2.5 WAR this deal works out very nicely for Detroit.
As a Yankee fan, he has a propensity for screwing up at the most disadvantageous times……his offense is his calling card, but nothing great to see there either……..I don’t think WAR adequately describes his game……if Detroit is happy with him great….but the Yankees are happy to turn the page……
You’re low IQ and easily entertained.
Maybe read the article?
They updated it after he posted.
I love these “read the article” guys when it’s clear people were commenting on the initial snippet.
i’m sure gleyber’s agent gave the yankees a chance to match the offer but for whatever reason they’re done with him (cashman even threw some shade). he’s a frustrating defender and baserunner but a legit leadoff man. word of advice: he needs someone on his ass every day to stay focused. tigers should pick a coach and give him this assignment. i’ll miss him and i’m happy he went to a contender
Jack Curry mentioned it a while back that the Yankees weren’t interested in bringing him back. I thought that if his price was low enough (like 1/$15) that they may change course.
Fair deal for the Tigers. If Gleyber has a good season, they can flip him or offer a Q.O. for a draft pick.
yeah if they didn’t want him back at 1/15 then he was truly dead to them
See my post. Hinch mixes and matches pretty well. Torres, if he buys in and trusts AJ, may flourish this year in Motown.
Detroit coaching staff is real good at getting the most out of players. Looks like a steal to me at 15m.
Its a great price for someone they didn’t need. Maybe Harris can get a good deal on a LH Outfielder as an encore. Detroit doesn’t need another one of those either.
If they are going to bargain bin shop, could they at least stay to the shopping list?
Shows the tigers must be really high on Lee and/or Mcgonigle where not wanting to block the position is relevant
Jung is a 2B as well and won a gold glove there two years ago. They had him and Keith playing out of position last year because Keith’s throwing arm was injured a couple years back.
What? Not blocking the position would be not signing a moron like Torres to begin with?
Remember George Springer. Remember Carlos Correa. Beware of Alex Bregman.
Marwin Gonzalez
Tyat dude straight stole money.
To be fair, Springer and Correa haven’t been terrible with their new teams and Bregman has still been good in the post-trash can era
springer was truly terrible this season. it was painful to watch because of all the dynasty astros he’s the only one i like
Playing on that turf has to take a toll on your body
If his arm is healthy youd think 3b..isnt that his natural position per the article
“Per the article” that repeats what the Tigers have said”: he’s playing 1B and probably won’t play 3B ever again due to his shoulder.
Probably not a pivot from Bregman, but maybe a little insurance (assisted by positional versatility and/or a potential trade) if they are outbid by the Red Sox for Bregman.
i wouldn’t describe gleyber as a roll of the dice. he never gets hurt and has been more consistent than most players. he’s high floor medium ceiling. tigers will get their money’s worth
Are you f’n kidding me? Alex Cobb and Gleybor Torres accounting for $30 million of the Tigers payroll this season. Thats a joke and a slap in the face to the fans after what they just pulled off this past season.
don’t know the tiger payroll situation but 1 war is going for 8M these days so in a vacuum i believe the tigers will receive more than market value
Why do people continue to trot out this nonsensical WAR/$$$ paradigm to justify overpaying bums? Gleyber Torres’ pricetag is inflated because he’s a free agent in a sea of players who AREN’T free agents. You want to know Gleyber’s true “value”? It’s what he would be paid if ALL players were free agents, not just a small pool of them. Smart small to mid-market teams don’t look at Gleyber’s $15m as a “bargain,” they realize it’s a gross overpay for who he is. No one would pay that except teams without decent in-house options who can put up Gleyber’s WAR for a fraction of the price. No self-respecting builder of a team would chortle over the bargain they got in Gleyber Torres.
i don’t support the use of WAR but this is what mlb teams have been paying for it. resigning gleyber for this price would have made sense for the yankees not sure i understand it for the tigers who seem to have an infield glut and operate under a tighter budget. he’s a frustrating player but he figured something out after the all-star break this season and was a legit leadoff man. there’s a chance tiger fans will like this deal when all is said and done
Clearly the Yankees, despite their apparent need, didn’t feel he was worth it. They certainly could have paid it, although the potential luxury taxes could have inflated his real cost even further. And I do agree with your point that the Yankees were getting decent play from Torres down the stretch. As a CLE fan, I can attest to what a pest he was in the ALCS (along with others we didn’t expect to put up such good AB’s, like Rizzo). But in the end, I gather NY saw Gleyber for who he is and DET is grasping at straws. I apologize for overreacting to your WAR comment, but it’s getting hard to listen to when I know player agents have gleefully latched onto that distorted appraisal like a pack of hungry dogs.
Of course, he can be flipped if they aren’t in contention or heck, even if they are slightly in contention. Shoot, he might be flipped anyway since they have second basemen prospects in the pipeline unless the Tigers are on a roll and they do not want to disrupt something….it’s obvious, the front office is straight business and players are just pieces to a puzzle…
Good cheap add for the Tigers. I really like this team, especially if the division is as piss-bad as it looks like it will be. If only they hadn’t spent so much on Baez back in the day, Oh well, spilt milk under the bridge.
Another moronic take. Easily pleased Tigers fan requiring absolutely nothing of the front office. Sure we’ll take everyone’s leftovers and scraps sure why not, we’re Detroit after all.
Not a bad move at all. 2025 is going to be a good year for the Tigers.
100% guarantee they’re going to blow the season because they’re already blowing the offseason. They’re purposely tanking this team.
Calm down, and go take your meds.
I really thought a one year deal with high AAV for Torres was the right move for the Red Sox. A right handed bat at a position of need, but only until Campbell is ready. Sox missed out on a solid bridge 2B in my opinion
Rafaela, Grissom, Gonzalez, Sogard, plenty of bridges to Campbell. 2B is Grissom’s to lose as they have to see if they got anything for Sale
This is without question, a deal the Braves should have done to upgrade SS. And yes, before yall get all up in a tizzy about his defense at short, yes… I’m aware. But Braves fans way over state how well Arcia plays defense as his metrics are just league avg. and his bat is one of the worst in the league. The minor drop off in defense with the large offensive increase for a 1 year deal is well worth it. It’s just silly that we weren’t in on this
It’s not an uograde when the player you bring in is worse than the guy he replaces. Nacho Alvarez put up solid numbers in the minors last season and should get a strong look in spring training for the Braves this year
Torres is not a SS. He is barely a 2B now. He is really a DH.
$15 million for one year of Torres by no means takes the Tigers out on Bregman. Keith and Torkelson could share 1B/DH duties, which sounds like the plan with or without Bregman anyway
I’d rather see Malloy than Tork at this point but I agree with your take.
The team will have some kind of OF rotation of Carpenter/Greene/Malloy/Perez and Vierling serving as a IF/OF utility player
Harris said Malloy would be trying out a 1B mitt too (in addition to Keith). I wonder if they are going to trade Tork?
Someone would take him but they aren’t getting anything back. More likely they’ll hold him until spring, see if he looks any different, and if not just cut him.
He has an option still so more likely he goes to AAA. Harris called him and said he told him he has a place on the team if he earns in the spring.
Maikel Franco, anyone??
Or to a 1B needy team in a package for another change of scenery candidate. Baty with NYM, SD for a high priced vet to yrim their payroll, Pitts for Hayes, Seattle ??? All possibilities.
Keith is the guy they signed long term. He’s not going to share a position. Torkelson will now be battling Malloy for the short side of the DH platoon.
Smart move picking the Tigers over the Angels.
One Year not bad for Detroit
At that small cost, the Yankees should have considered bringing him back in!
In the end, GT bring us a bit more depth and more MLB average hitting. Need to dump Zack. Not sure this gets us there. What is the corresponding move ??
Good luck LAZY MAN
Seems to me this sets them up to trade Colt Keith. He looks to be the most obvious odd man out. He doesn’t play third, he’s no longer playing second here, he doesn’t have the bat or experience to play first, and he’s on a reasonable contract. Plus, he’s a lefty bat and they are loaded with lefties.
Confirmed that Keith is moving to first
They can say that but it’s hardly confirmed. There is still a major roster problem with Keith at 1st. They wouldn’t come out saying they’re looking to trade him, it’s a situation where it just gets announced once it’s finalized.
They’re not trading Keith.
Trading Keith makes zero sense. Trading Tork does.
Does it though? Tork isn’t worth much right now, they’d basically be giving him away for some other reclamation project that’ll probably wind up a bust. But, Keith has value, quite a bit of it is based on the if-come. And let’s be honest about his game… his ceiling isn’t that high, he seems like a guy who is capped at 2 WAR, but with his contract the way it is, he could be dealt for a legit young player who fills a more obvious need and they could find someone who is a better roster fit. Of course, I’m not running any of this, and all we all can do is talk about it all in a fantastical and meaningless way like this, but I’d be looking to trade high on Keith right now and try to steal a better player.
Detroit News already has Harris stating Keith will be moved to 1B and Tork has a chance to make the team. Tork is done in Detroit.
Keith wasn’t the guy who didn’t fit. He was the one part of the infield that could be written in ink, going into the off season. They were looking for “just in case” options at 1B. SS was likely Sweeney sharing the job with Baez or Kreidler. 3B was some mishmash of Vierling/McKinstry/Jung/Ibanez, or a new acquisition. Until this signing. Now, no one that was with the infield last year is assured of anything.
This was a move for the sake of making a move. This was never the plan.
Keith’s defense at 2B was not much better than Torres. If his arm is screwed then 1B makes sense. Getting Torres bat improves the team.
The plan was to get a RH bat which they did. Hopefully they get another one too.
Plus, they did it without mortgaging several years of a position. McGonigle looks like the Tigers 2B of the future – possibly beginning in 2026.
It sounds like they may consider keeping McGonigle at SS from the articles I’ve read. That would be sweet since it would definitely push Baez out once and fir all.
Sticking it to boras is a great way to end 2024, and getting Torres on the original 2-year deal w/a 1-year player opt-out is a nice touch. Tigers continue to emerge, he should play like someone trying to earn a new deal (aka as second-half Torres); if the team takes a step back (hard to see with Twins, Guards easing up) he’s trade deadline fodder. Meanwhile if I’m the Mariners I’m sticking to a 4-year $100m offer for Bregman with a player opt-out after year two…
You’re an idiot.
You’ve got a lot of nerve calling anyone an idiot.
Since that 2019 juiced ball season, only Aaron Judge remains as a Yankee regular, and the only one who’s power remains legit.
Looking at all that uncertainty, it’s a miracle these guys made the playoffs last year, Skubal notwithstanding.
Wow. Torres is definitely going to play 2B for the Tigers in ’25. And Colt is moving to 1B. From Det News:
“He may move back to second base in the future but for 2025, our best team has Gleyber at second and Colt Keith at first,” Harris said.
“My message to Tork was, ‘If you have a big offseason and a big spring training, there is a role for you,” Harris said. “This team needs right-handed power and we’ve seen Tork do that in the past. He reminded me how hard he was working. He seems determined to demonstrate that he deserves a role on this team, too.”
I just have no faith that he will have a big spring, concluded Harris. Besides, I don’t want to win with Al Avila’s players. If Chris Illitch wasn’t so tight on the purse strings, I would have moved them all out by now and replaced them with players I got to pick. (Alledgedly)
Dude you need to see a therapist about your Harris hate. Did he give you a wedgie in high school or something;)
Most of the team is “Avila’s guys” as you say. It’s his job to add to that and Tork sucked last year so why shouldn’t he have to earn his spot this year?
Are there no free agents that are fans of the 1995 Mariners? Considering that 2025 is the 30th anniversary any fans of the 1995 Mariners would want to play for the 2025 Mariners to see if they can do something even more special for Seattle.
Forget Sandy Alcantara. You are still going to need a SS. Unless you think Baez is the long-term solution. The Evil Empire will be happy to deal you George Lombard Jr. and Will Warren (or Stroman) for Jung. Helps both clubs.
signing torres doesn’t make a lot of sense for the tigers unless it’s the prelude to another deal. i’d give up lombard/warren for jung in a nanosecond but i doubt that offer keeps the tigers on the phone
He was signed to play 2B. He’s not playing 3rd
Given what you say they lack, 60 wins looks generous!
That’s a good deal for a guy on a down year and entering his age 27 season. Now the question is Torres going to play 3rd because he turned down the Nats offer to play 3rd or are the Tigers going to go out and sign Bregman or get a real 3B.
So many terrible takes on this signing. We already have many o’ players lined up for 2nd base. Typical Tigers trash move. Typical idiotic Scott Harris move. Typical Illitch move. Tired of this.
Tired of making the playoffs? Ok.
Guess you could just go cheer for someone else since they are soooo bad. Terrible that they made the playoffs and were one of the final four AL teams. They should just cut that Skubal guy for winning that triple crown thing.
Tigers have 5 blue chip prospects expected to be in Detroit by 26-27. Currently play CF, C, 1B, SS, and SS. Giving out long term FA contracts would be foolish to block these prospects. Stop whining about Ilitch being cheap, it’s good resource management. Just need another SP.
Exactly!
And there’s the matter of the current roster players who won the first playoff round in a decade. Those guys still have room to improve, too, as they continue their education from that 6-week crash course.
Buh bye Gleyber. Laziest player in MLB. From a Yankee fan.
You signed him right at 15m for one year. They wanted is right hand bat. I expect them to play him part time at 2nd and dh. Colt will play 2nd and 1st with his left hand bat. Tork will play 1st and dh with his right hand bat. 3b is still a question mark but they do have guys who can play there. I would have preferred trading tork to the marlins for j. Bride. He has a real nice swing and plays a good 1st base. Detroit, and other teams. Blew it last year when they didn’t claim duke Ellis off waviers. Yankee property now. Big time speed. Might be the fastest player in mlb.
I don’t hate this signing, it’s a low risk signing because of the one year and really it is on him to perform to secure his future in baseball. Hopefully he will be motivated like he should be.
Gt rat signing, and at fair market value. Come on down Colt Keith to first base.. He can stay the whole season or move at the deadline. Perfect signing for Detroit, hits every favorable box for the team
Wow, rarely does any team ever get a perfect signing like this. This already is a perfect off season for the team. Great pick up !
Mariners don’t need this guy or Bregman.
Torres would have had only 9 HR at Comerica last year acc’d to savant. One of the leagues worst base runners -4.5bsr last year. Very apathetic defender- 7th percentile arm, 14th percentile range.
Overdue for a change of scenery, but he picked a terrible offensive venue to rebuild his value.
Well, he’s got a year to prove himself….
Torres will be a doubles machine. Hinch will get his head screwed on right too. I think Torres is going to end up being a good signing.
Well, the first non-yawner for the Tigers !! It wouldn’t have been my first move, but now add Bregman and Flaherty…..
So who says no? Baty to Detroit for Torkelson?
Mets get a 1b they can use
Tigers get a 3b they can use
Both struggling top prospects although Torkelson is more proven on the MLB level.
The Tigers would say NO to that deal.
Seeing a player who genuinely wants to be a Yankee not have the opportunity to… certainly hits different after being dumped by Soto. =(
Somehow, I have an idea that Torres is gone by the trade deadline ’25.
The Tigers are not going to sign Bregman.
Don’t be a Debbie-downer !! 🙂
He is a good player and I wish him well.
I defended him a lot on the Yankee boards for his “Manny being Manny” moments that was just something you had to live with in between his contributions.
Unfortunately in NY those moments accumulated to the point that enough was enough.
But the bean counter resets in Detroit and without the NY glare.
This is a solid signing and gives the club some additional infield positional flexibility in ’25. As fans, we all want to see the big splash, but frankly the free agent pool is showing the markets appetite. More and more teams are becoming very hesitant to throw large multi-year contracts towards players who have crossed the 30 y/o mark and rightfully so as we continually see more and more take an ugly nosedive.
We, as Tigers fans should be thankful that Harris is being sensible as to where he fills holes today, while at the same time not burdening the club with contracts everyone will be blasting 2-3 years from now (both financially and younger talent ready to take over). Torres is 28, coming in on a 1 year deal and at a reasonable rate in todays game, especially based on his historical production. This is a stop gap and good one, as we await the arrival of Max Clark, Kevin McGonigle and Lee within the next year or two and Rainer within 3 years. Don’t forget the Tigers Farm system has been upgraded to the top Farm System in all of baseball. Nothing is guaranteed, but it’s safe to assume a few of them are going to become quality major league ballplayers and perhaps a couple of future all stars.
The questions today really starting to come into play is how is the infield going to begin to play out over the next 1-2 years with Sweeney, Jung and Keith along with those mentioned above and then add in Liranzo and Briceno (one will be catching, but the other will go to 1B/DH). As has been stated in other news updates, it is sounding as if Keith will be moved to 1B, which is a good indicator Tork is going to be dealt before they come north.
While we want to see winning baseball this spring/summer and to be playing meaningful games in September (believe we will) it is really exciting to see so much young infield talent and how they are going to make it all come together.
Well said!
I hope you’re right !
Good post. Agree 100 percent.
I get the impression that the Tigers were less than pleased with Tork’s efforts – or lack thereof – to ADJUST. “No, I’m good. I just need to keep doing the same thing” is how it appeared he was addressing “adjustments.” He’s had one good half-season in 3 seasons, including full regression last year.
This was a decisive move by Harris, as it essentially ends Tork’s Tigers career. Keith was going to have to move to 1B eventually anyway, because of the glut of better defensive 2Bs on the way. JJung is already better at 2B. Lee in the minors is a candidate.
Then there’s McGonigle and Rainer, both listed at SS but McGonigle drawing the “he’ll move to 2B eventually” tag as I think Rainer, although he is still very young, is the SS the Tigers have in mind to build around.
Of the super-kids on the farm, I think McGonigle may be the first to move up – maybe as soon as 2026. He could slot right into 2B and let Trey/Baez handle SS another year. Or SS, if they think McGonigle can handle it. Either way, McGonigle is someone the Tigers plan to be one of their core, soon to be followed by Clark, Briceno, Rainer & Liranzo.
So, will they continue the JJung experiment at 3B, or move him to his natural position, 2B? Or trade him while his potential is high? That will most likely occur if they sign Bregman. I like JJ’s make-up (who will forget his slide?) and approach. But I’m leery of his ability to hit MLB pitching and his glaring lack of power. It looked like he was swinging a wet paper bag at times last year. I’m hoping that was just lingering issues from his injury.
Either way, Jung WON’T be at 2B this year with Torres now on board. With no real promising 3B in the system, it makes me really think the Tigers ARE seriously in on Bregman.
Did you notice Harris smirk when he was asked about Bregman? Consider that and this: Carlos Baerga, who apparently has close ties to Joey Cora, said Friday at 10:43 pm on X (Twitter), “rumor has it that Alex Bregman will be signing in the next few days with the Detroit Tigers.”
I agree they are very likely shooting for Bregman, which would be a huge move and perhaps help sell Sasaki on the team as well. Lately it sounds like they may be looking at keeping McGonigle at SS which is great if it’s one less year of Baez there. There was also talk of trying Lee at SS. I hope they move Jung back to 2B and by next year we will know if he or Lee (or McGonigle as you say) are going to take over for Torres. Nice to see positive developments!
I sure hope the Tigers do get Bregman, the same way I was thrilled with their expenditures on Baez and ERod. There’s nothing like overreaction to 2024 like there was after 2021. The more anchors around your neck the better!
So what do you think they should do then?
Avoid long term commitments to guys who have already peaked, that’s for sure. I’ve never understood paying big dollars for past production. Now, I get it: Detroit has payroll room, so fans say, “Why not? It’s not my money.” Except it is, in the sense that revenue drives spending, and if revenue isn’t going to appreciably change, why devote so much for a “name” player and hamstring payroll in the future? Let’s be honest, Detroit isn’t rocket-ready for take-off any more than my team is (CLE) and spending on free agents is foolish given the marginal return. Use available funds smartly and shrewdly in order to get reliable returns rather make risky long-term commitments. Think what Detroit could do with the money they’ve allocated to Baez. I said the EXACT same thing to Tiger fans three years ago when they signed Javy, and here we are again. Double down on Bregman and you’ll surely regret it. Free agent deals should be as short as possible. Much wiser to approach prudent extensions with your young players who you view as cornerstones. And if you don’t have any of those (you do) why are you spending hundreds of millions on old guys desperately looking for their last big payday when their best years are far behind them? Does that really make any sense for a team like Detroit? Or Cleveland? Hell, no.
The Baez deal happened before the current POBO/GM combo. It was a bad signing.
Bregman would fill a hole right now and help make the team competitive the next few years…at the right contract length. An 8 year deal would be crazy and hurt them. A 5 or even 6 year deal not so much. They can’t all be one year deals to fill the holes. They need offence and he is a good hitter and defender. The other options are unproven and learning the position. Jung is a good 2B, not so much at 3B and there is no heir apparently 3B prospect waiting in the high minors. Kim is another option who I really like if his shoulder is okay (plus he could shift to SS and they could kick Baez to the curb).
They signed Keith long term last year so they are not just running out and buying free agents. You are right that they should continue to lock some of their young core up. Greene and Carp up next.
Getting Torres for a year to supplement the offence and shifting Keith to 1B and Jung back to 2B in AAA (if they get Bregman or Kim) was a good move and speaks to the balancing of short term and long term needs. I think they are doing a fine job of threading the needle.
Reasonable take…IF Bregman signs a 4-5 year deal and then delivers on it. I don’t think he will on either count. Like I said, I hope Detroit abandons common sense. If anything proved how unessential free agency is, it’s what the Tigers did last year after the front office waved the white flag at the deadline. And that’s the front office I’m supposed to trust now?
I’d be happier if they grabbed Kim and a bullpen arm and called it a day. Bregman feels too much like an ill timed HR swing on anything less than a shorter term deal.
On this I wholeheartedly agree.
Nice pickup!
There shouldn’t be a comma before “too.” Come on.
Are you sure about that?
Yeah, he’s right, but on the list of errors, it’s nothing compared to the epidemic of “should have went” references we see and hear in the lexicon today.
Congratulations Gleyber Torres!
SPEND THE MONEY ON BREGMAN ALREADY AS A 2B! When Yoshida is gone Raffy Moves to DH Bregman goes to 3b. Also fits perfectly for when Story leaves Campbell, Mayer, Grissom and Anthony arrive. GO SPEND ON BREGMAN if he’s not a fur Nobody is! Also sign Scott we need a lock down closer