Tigers, Gleyber Torres reach 1-year, $15M deal, sources say

Free agent infielder Gleyber Torres signed a one-year take care of the Detroit Tigers, the crew introduced Friday.

The contract is value $15 million, sources informed ESPN.

The 2-time All-Star receives a slight elevate from his $14.2 million wage with the New York Yankees. His settlement features a one-time project bonus of $500,000.

“We have been very aggressive to attempt to land it. I imply, I used to be on the cellphone for many of Christmas Eve, which my household did not actually recognize,” Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris mentioned. “However, we really feel like we received higher immediately. We really feel like including Gleyber made us higher, and we really feel like he’ll make the gamers round him quite a bit higher.”

Torres, 28, spent the primary seven years of his profession with the New York Yankees after being acquired in a commerce with the Chicago Cubs in 2016. He has a profession .774 OPS, taking part in shortstop and second base for New York.

Harris informed reporters Torres was anticipated to play second base in Detroit whereas Colt Keith, whose 12 errors at second final season have been second to Torres’ whole of 18, would shift to first base.

Harris mentioned the Tigers nonetheless imagine Keith is “a really succesful second baseman.”

“He could transfer again to second base sooner or later. However for 2025, our greatest crew has Gleyber at second base and Colt at first base,” Harris mentioned.

Torres was the Yankees’ shortstop in 2020-21 however was shifted again to second in September 2021 after making 18 errors that season.

Torres has good energy for a center infielder however skilled a dip in his slugging proportion final season, compiling a .378 mark after back-to-back seasons over .450. He hit 49 dwelling runs in 2022 and 2023 mixed, however adopted that with a 15-homer season final season. He did have a productive American League Championship Collection towards the Cleveland Guardians — hitting .364 — serving to the Yankees advance to the World Collection.

“From the very first dialog that we had with Gleyber this offseason, we talked about how we predict there’s extra in there. We expect he can get higher on each side of the ball. Gleyber believes that, too,” Harris mentioned.

“He had a variety of alternative to go to totally different locations this winter on longer offers than the one he took. However his brokers have been very up entrance with me about his want to guess on himself, and actually that made me need him extra.”

Detroit is conserving its roster versatile as its prospect base continues to matriculate to the majors. The membership additionally signed pitcher Alex Cobb to a one-year, $15 million deal this offseason because the crew has just one large contract on its books — shortstop Javier Baez — previous the 2025 season.

Harris mentioned he informed Spencer Torkelson there’s nonetheless a job obtainable for him at first base and designated hitter if he is productive. The highest decide within the 2020 novice draft, the 25-year-old Torkelson had 31 dwelling runs and 94 RBIs for the Tigers in 2023 however slumped to .219 with 10 homers, 37 RBIs and a .669 OPS in 92 video games final season. He was demoted to the minors from June 3 to Aug. 16.

In a corresponding roster transfer, left-hander Bailey Horn was designated for project by the Tigers.

The Related Press contributed to this report.