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After their run to the World Series, the New York Yankees will need a replacement for a key member of their lineup.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, second baseman Gleyber Torres agreed to a free-agent contract with the Detroit Tigers on Friday, ending his run with the Yankees after seven seasons.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported Torres signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Tigers.
Torres had played the 2024 season on a one-year, $14.2 million deal after avoiding arbitration, and he said in February, “I want to be a Yankee for life.” Despite a strong finish to the year, the team chose not to retain him.
In 154 regular-season games, Torres hit .257 with 15 home runs and 63 RBI. He found a groove after the All-Star break and was moved into the leadoff spot in New York’s lineup, hitting .292 over the second half of the year. During the team’s postseason run, he hit .241 with two home runs and eight RBI as the Yankees ultimately lost the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.
Torres spent two-and-a-half years in the Chicago Cubs farm system at the start of his career before being traded to the Yankees in 2016. He made his major league debut two years later in 2018 and made an immediate splash, earning back-to-back All-Star selections in his first two seasons.
However, the 28-year-old’s production leveled off after his scorching start to his career, causing him to be subjected to trade rumors and questions about his effectiveness at second base. Over the second half of the 2024 season and the playoffs, he proved that he can still be a difference-maker in the right situation.
Overall, Torres owns a .265/.334/.441 slash line in 888 career games, and he has registered 138 home runs, 441 RBI, 460 runs scored and 53 stolen bases.
By joining the Tigers, Torres will bring his experience and postseason insight to a team that reached the playoffs this past season. Detroit went on a remarkable late-season run in 2024 and unexpectedly reached the American League Division Series.
Torres will be joining a lineup that also includes rising stars Riley Greene and Colt Keith, creating a strong combination as Detroit chases a playoff spot in 2025.
As for the Yankees, they must now fill a hole at either second base or third base depending on where they decide to deploy Jazz Chisholm next season.
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