After being relatively inactive throughout the first month of free agency, the Detroit Tigers have finally made a significant move to cap off 2024. The Tigers have signed Middle Infielder Gleyber Torres, to a 1 year $15 million contract. Torres has played his entire career as a New York Yankee and will now be donning the Ol’ English D. Torres is a 2-time All-star and finished 3rd, in rookie of the year votes back in 2018.

Offensively he’ll provide balance and stability to a lineup that fields a number of left-handed bats including Parker Meadows, Riley Greene, and Kerry Carper, in comparison to a not as impressive cast, from the right side of the dish. Torres only managed 15 bombs last year, but has topped 24 plus home-runs, 4 times in his career. Including a career high 38 in 2019. In addition, he brings elite plate discipline. According to Baseball Savant, Torres ranked in the 92nd percentile of chase rate, and the 70th percentile of walk rate.

Gleyber Torres vs LHP

2024: 132 wRC+
Career: 134 wRC+

Detroit Tigers Lineup vs LHP

2024: 88 wRC+

With Andy Ibanez and Justyn-Henry Malloy (hopefully) already on the bench, Gleybor Torres is another warm body that can come in to crush LHP. https://t.co/SuzyRLzJLF pic.twitter.com/N7xq5s5NQV

— DETBaseball (@DETBaseball) December 27, 2024

The signing shake things up within the infield, and provides clarity as to what direction the team plans to head in. Initially this was a peculiar signing, in that Torres reportedly turned down a deal with the Nationals, refusing to play third base. Torres also took this stance last season after the Yankees acquired Jazz Chisholm in a trade at the deadline. Him signing with Detroit would appear to create a logjam at the 2nd base position along with Colt Keith, who was signed to a long-term deal this past offseason. But as we learned earlier this month, Colt Keith will be taking ground balls at First. We now know per Scott Harris, that Keith will now transition to first base permanently, in a likely platoon role with Sepncer Torkelson.

In a vacuum, this makes the Tigers a better hitting team then they were in 2024. They obtained a powerful run-producing bat that they can place in the middle of their lineup. Torres has postseason experience, including successful appearances at the dish this pass October. Infield defense may be a concern early on. Torres’ has a far from average glove and Keith will be playing a brand new position this year. The hopes is that Torres can cover some of what they’re lacking defensively, with an uptick in run production. He will also look to bounce back from a down year, while doing so in a much less hitter friendly, Comerica Park. Torres has made a career off utilizing top tier launch angle on his swing to deposit fly-balls over the short porch in Yankee Stadium. It appears, the Tigers may still have the inside track on signing Alex Bregman, which would be a major addition given what they already have obtained. Stay tuned  to FFSN for possible upcoming news on that, but as it currently stands the Starting Lineup could appear as:

CF Meadows

2B Torres

LF Greene

DH Carpenter

1B Keith

3B Vierling/Jung

RF Perez

SS Sweeney/Baez

C Rogers