The Detroit Tigers signed former New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres to a $15 million, one-year contract on Friday.
Torres, a two-time All-Star, gets a slight raise from his previous $14.2 million salary with the Yankees. The contract also includes a one-time assignment bonus of $500,000.
“We were very aggressive to try to land it. I mean, I was on the phone for most of Christmas Eve, which my family didn’t really appreciate,” said Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris. “But, we feel like we got better today. We feel like adding Gleyber made us better, and we feel like he’s going to make the players around him a lot better.”
In his seven seasons with the Yankees, Torres batted .265 with 138 home runs and 441 RBIs. The Yankees acquired him in 2016 from the Cubs as part of the trade that sent closer Aroldis Chapman to Chicago.
The 28-year-old infielder hit .257 last season with 15 home runs, 63 RBIs, and 26 doubles while helping the Yankees win the AL East and reach the World Series, where they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.
“Our offense has to get better,” Harris said. “He can fit anywhere in our lineup.”
Torres struggled early in the season, hitting .221 with eight homers and 30 RBIs through July 4. However, he finished strong, batting .298 with seven homers and 30 RBIs in his final 68 games.
“From the very first conversation that we had with Gleyber this offseason, we talked about how we think there’s more in there. We think he can get better on both sides of the ball. Gleyber believes that, too,” Harris said.
“He had a lot of opportunity to go to different places this winter on longer deals than the one he took. But his agents were very up front with me about his desire to bet on himself, and honestly, that made me want him more.”
Torres had 18 errors last season, which was six more than any other second baseman in the major leagues. He was benched for a game against the New York Mets on June 27 after a poor performance and was pulled by manager Aaron Boone for lack of hustle during an August 2 game against Toronto. However, Torres responded well to Boone’s decision and did not have similar issues afterward.
“We’re really excited to add Gleyber to our mix,” Harris said.
Torres will play second base for the Tigers, while Colt Keith will shift to first base. Harris said Keith had 12 errors at second base last season, the second most among major league second basemen.
Harris also told Spencer Torkelson that there’s still a role available for him at first base and designated hitter if he performs well. The 25-year-old Torkelson had 31 home runs and 94 RBIs for the Tigers in 2023 but struggled last season, batting .219 with 10 homers and 37 RBIs in 92 games. He was sent down to the minors from June 3 to August 16.
Torres played shortstop for the Yankees from 2020 to 2021 but moved back to second base in 2021 after making 18 errors during that season.
Harris said the Tigers still believe Keith is “a very capable second baseman.”
“He may move back to second base in the future. But for 2025, our best team has Gleyber at second base and Colt at first base,” Harris said.
Torres, originally from Caracas, Venezuela, was signed by the Cubs in 2013 and traded to the Yankees in 2016. That year, the Cubs won the World Series, ending a 108-year title drought.
Torres made his MLB debut with the Yankees in 2018 and homered in four straight games as a rookie. At 21 years old, he became the youngest player in American League history to achieve that feat. He also earned two All-Star selections and finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting.
He has been successful in the postseason as well, posting a .795 OPS with seven home runs and 25 RBIs in six playoff appearances for the Yankees.
“One of our areas of need was more balance in our lineup. We got a little bit too left-handed toward the end of the season,” Harris said. “Adding a player with Gleyber’s track record against left-handed pitching is a significant boost to our lineup.
We think he’s going to add on-base skills, we think he’s going to add damage, and we think he’s going to be able to protect some of our young but really talented left-handed hitters who will hit in the middle of our lineup in 2025.”
In a corresponding move, the Tigers designated left-hander Bailey Horn for assignment.
