Even though the Detroit Tigers surprised everyone in 2024 by making the playoffs, they were an incomplete team, especially in the lineup.
They ended up fixing a lot of those problems, notably with players already on the roster. Zach McKinstry and Kerry Carpenter were the faces of that retooling. But the Tigers knew what the roster was, especially in the middle infield. So they went out and got former New York Yankees star Gleyber Torres to play second base as they tried to win the AL Central division in 2025.
Torres was an instant upgrade over what Colt Keith had given them the year prior, and he became one of the better one-year deals of the season. Detroit will now have an interesting choice to make with the All-Star becoming a free agent this winter.
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Starter: Gleyber Torres (.256/.358/.387, 145 G, 22 2B, 16 HR, 74 RBI, 85 BB, 101 K, .745 OPS, 108 OPS+, 2.9 bWAR).
Other Signifcant Contributor: Colt Keith (.271/.388/.457, 24 G, 7 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 14 BB, 16 K, .845 OPS, 148 OPS+)
Defense (Baseball Savant): Torres (-5 Outs Above Average, 1,146.1 Innings, .990 Fielding Percentage, 5 Errors), Keith (-3 OAA, 184.2 Inn, .953 Fld%, 4 E).Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Torres was second among all Tigers position players in bWAR with 2.9. He led the team in walks and on-base percentage, and was second in hits. The 28-year-old made his first All-Star game since 2019. His OPS in the second half fell from .812 to .659.
The veteran has the best walk rate (13.5 percent) of any second baseman in baseball. Among that group, he was fourth in OBP, eighth in weighted on-base average (wOBA) with .332, eighth in RBI and tied for seventh with 16 homers.
Keith was the backup second baseman, but the second-year player bounced around the field and played third and designated hitter far more often. He was solid at the plate in his games at second, posting an .845 OPS, but it was a small sample since Torres took the bulk of reps there.David Richard-Imagn Images
Detroit has a pretty big choice to make this offseason. They signed Torres to a one year, $15 million deal last offseason, so he’s set to be a free agent this winter. They would be able to extend him a qualifying offer in order to try to bring him back. If he rejects it and signs elsewhere, the Tigers get a draft pick.
Then there’s the possibility of signing him to a long-term deal, but there hasn’t been any rumblings of that possibility. He had to have hernia surgery after the season ended, which could indirectly impact his market.
The surgery shouldn’t be a problem for his long-term health, but his performance in the second half while playing through that issue could hurt his ability to get a longer deal on the open market. In 84 first-half games, he hit .281 with an .812 OPS and nine homers. The injury zapped all of his power, and he posted a .339 slugging percentage and .659 OPS in the second half.
That all makes it more possible that he accepts the qualifying offer from the Tigers, but if he doesn’t, the Tigers have options. Keith played 128 games at second as a rookie and he got even better offensively in 2025, so he could easily slide back in should Torres leave.
Detroit also has a top prospect in Hao-Yu Lee who could make his debut next season. In Triple-A, he posted a .748 OPS with 23 doubles, eight triples, 14 homers and 22 stolen bases. The 22-year-old does a little bit of everything and could be an exciting addition to the lineup.
The rest of the second base free agent market takes a step back after Torres, with Willi Castro as the next best option unless the Tampa Bay Rays don’t exercise their club option on Brandon Lowe. But as of now, it seems like it’s either Torres or bust in free agency.
A healthy Torres for a whole season would be a massive boost to Detroit’s lineup. Scott Harris and Jeff Greenberg should make it happen and re-sign the All-Star.
Leave a Reply