Gleyber Torres Concludes Yankees Tenure in a Hushed Manner by Inking Deal with Detroit Tigers
In the middle of a mediocre 2016 campaign, where they would conclude with 84 victories and extend a streak of under 90 wins for the fourth consecutive year, the New York Yankees decided it was time for a change at the trade deadline.
Rather than aiming to boost a squad just above the .500 mark, the Yankees made three significant trades, receiving a total of 12 players from the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Guardians, and Texas Rangers in exchange for Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, and Carlos Beltran's services.
Only ten of these newly-acquired players saw major league action, with Gleyber Torres, Clint Frazier, Ben Heller, Adam Warren, and Billy McKinney actually donning the Yankees' uniform. Some of the returning prospects, such as Justus Sheffield and Erik Swanson, were then traded to the Seattle Mariners for James Paxton, while Dillon Tate was sent to the Baltimore Orioles in return for Zack Britton.
Of all the players the Yankees acquired during this rare sell-off, Torres had the longest tenure, though it ultimately came to an end when he signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Tigers on Friday.
In the offseason following this, the Yankees signed Max Fried, will add Paul Goldschmidt, and acquired Devin Williams and Cody Bellinger—yet there was no effort to keep Torres in the Yankees' fold. Torres had reportedly expressed a desire to stay in New York during spring training, but admitted no offer had been extended to him in his initial press conference.
After the 2019 season, it seemed unthinkable that Torres would be a member of another team—just as it had following Luis Severino's impressive run of 35 combined wins for the 91-win and 100-win Yankees in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
Torres began his Yankees journey with a .271 batting average and 24 home runs, along with 77 RBIs. He boosted his average to .278 in 2018 and was selected as an All-Star with 38 home runs and 90 RBIs—including 13 home runs and 20 RBIs against the Orioles, which caused announcer Gary Thorne to grow increasingly frustrated and eventually silent.
However, he never quite replicated that success in the following seasons, batting .243, .259, and .257 in 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. Torres also struggled in 2021 at shortstop, committing 18 errors in 108 games there.
Despite those setbacks, the Yankees moved Torres to second base in 2022, which saw his power return with 24 home runs and 76 RBIs. In the disastrous 2023 season, when Aaron Judge missed nearly two months with a broken foot, Torres proved to be one of the most consistent players for the Yankees, hitting .273 with 25 home runs and 68 RBIs.
The 2024 season was a rollercoaster for Torres, resulting in a .257 batting average and 15 home runs with 63 RBIs. He started and ended the season as the leadoff hitter, but struggled through the end of June, causing him to be moved out of the leadoff spot after 12 games.
Torres returned to the leadoff spot on a regular basis on August 16, as his average reached .236. This coincided with a two-week stretch where Torres hit .298 with a .786 OPS in his final 74 games.
These late-season performances likely convinced Torres to sign a one-year contract with the Tigers, as he believes himself to be deserving of a multi-year contract during his next stint as a free agent—and is confident that the second half of his Yankees tenure is a more accurate representation of his overall performance.
Torres told reporters on Friday, "I really believe in myself. I always bet on myself. In this process, I tried to find the right place to play one year. I got a few opportunities from other teams, but the young team in Detroit—the group looks like a family."
Joining an 86-win team who were just one game short of facing off against the Yankees in the ALCS, Torres had numerous other suitors, including the Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, and Toronto Blue Jays.
In the end, the Tigers expressed interest in Torres, as they believed there was still potential in him—despite his inconsistencies—due to his young age and stellar first two seasons with the Yankees.
As president of baseball operations for the Tigers, Scott Harris shared, "We think there's more in there on both sides of the ball. If you go back and look at his season, we saw him tap into a little bit more of his offensive upside in the second half and the postseason. We think there's more in there. Gleyber does, too. And then defensively, we also think there's more in there."
Torres's mixed results both offensively and defensively will likely earn him a warm reception when the Tigers face off against the Yankees, but it seems that both sides have moved on, setting the stage for Torres to become a seasoned veteran on a young, talented roster.
In the offseason after Gleyber Torres's departure from the Yankees, the New York team made another notable move, bringing in Aaron Judge's former rival, Aaron Boone, as manager after Joe Girardi's departure.
During the 2022 season, as the New York Yankees were searching for a new manager, Brian Cashman, the team's general manager, considered former Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch as a potential candidate.
With Gleyber Torres now part of the Detroit Tigers, he will face his former team, the Yankees, during the upcoming free agency period. This will be an opportunity for him to prove his worth and potentially secure a multi-year contract when he becomes a free agent again.
