Infielder Gleyber Torres has agreed to terms with the Detroit Tigers on a one-year contract in free agency. Jim Bowden of CBS Sports HQ confirms the signing and puts the value at $15 million for one year.
Torres, who just recently turned 28 is coming off a 2024 season for the New York Yankees in which he batted .257/.330/.378 (101 OPS+) with 15 home runs and 26 doubles in 154 games as the starting second baseman for the eventual American League champs. Those numbers marked a bit of a downshift for Torres, who in 2022-23 combined had an OPS+ of 116, a WAR of 7.0, and 49 home runs in 298 games.
Earlier in the offseason, CBS Sports ranked Torres as the No. 21 available free agent in the current class. Here’s part of our write-up:
From the files of Contrasting, Simultaneously True Statements: Torres had a disappointing walk year, finishing with the second-lowest OPS+ of his career, yet he’s comfortably a top-25 free agent on the basis of his youth (he’s heading into his age-28 season) and his track record (he has a career 112 OPS+). While we expect Torres will take a one- or two-year pillow contract and render these next comments moot, we do have two reservations about his long-term outlook. Foremost, almost all of his power is reserved for middle-middle mistakes, with him reliably struggling to do much on pitches away; additionally, he’s already a below-average defender at the keystone, something that doesn’t bode well for his chances of providing secondary value as he ages into his 30s. Again, those concerns are likely to be more relevant for the contract after this one, but they’re worth keeping in mind as his career progresses.
For his career, Torres, a two-time All-Star with the Yankees, has an OPS+ of 112 and a WAR of 16.1 over parts of seven big-league seasons. As a 22-year-old primary shortstop for the Yankees in 2019, Torres hit 38 home runs in 144 games.
Signing the one-year pact with Detroit gives Torres an opportunity to re-establish his value by producing more in line with career norms and then re-enter the free agent market next offseason in search of a much larger pact. For the Tigers, who made a surprise playoff run this past season, Torres solidifies a key middle infield spot. Promising youngster Colt Keith manned second base last season, but this winter he’s been prepping for a move to first base.
