While it always seemed unlikely that Gleyber Torres would return to the Bronx, the New York Yankees will now officially need a new second baseman in 2025.
On Friday morning, New York Post columnist Jon Heyman reported that Torres is signing with the Detroit Tigers. The one-year, $15 million deal was confirmed by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
Torres, 28, was acquired by the Yankees in the 2016 trade that sent closer Aroldis Chapman to the eventual World Series-champion Chicago Cubs. A former top prospect, Torres showed flashes of All-Star potential but struggled to maintain that level of play consistently.
The second baseman made two All-Star appearances in his first two seasons, including a career-high 38 home runs in 2019. But his slugging percentage fell from .535 to under .370 in consecutive seasons before rebounding to a respectable .450 range in 2022 and 2023. In 2024, however, his slugging percentage dropped again, finishing at .378, while his home run total fell from 25 to 15.
After a slow start in 2024, Torres adjusted during the All-Star break, finishing the season with a .293/.361/.419 slash line in the second half. He reclaimed the leadoff spot in August and proved effective in setting the table for Aaron Judge and Juan Soto in the postseason, posting a .744 OPS over 14 games.
Still, Torres struggled in two key areas: baserunning and defense—both major weaknesses for the Yankees in 2024. He finished the season with a -4.6 BsR, ranking as the sixth-worst baserunner in MLB. Defensively, he ranked 31st among qualified second basemen in Outs Above Average.
New York did not extend the one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer to Torres, meaning the team will not receive any draft pick compensation for losing him. While some believed Torres might have accepted the offer, he will now look to reset his market value in Detroit for $6 million less.
At one point, speedy infield prospect Caleb Durbin appeared to be the frontrunner to replace Torres at second base in 2025. However, Durbin was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers, along with Nestor Cortes Jr., in the deal for Devin Williams, leaving the Yankees to consider other internal options or free-agent alternatives.
Among internal candidates, the Yankees have utility player Oswaldo Cabrera and 36-year-old former All-Star DJ LeMahieu. LeMahieu, plagued by injuries in 2024, posted a disappointing .204/.269/.259 slash line with two home runs in 67 games.
Both Cabrera and LeMahieu can play second or third base, as can Jazz Chisholm Jr., who could shift back to his natural second base position, depending on the Yankees’ offseason moves.
The top free-agent third baseman on the market is Alex Bregman, though his attachment to a qualifying offer would cost the Yankees additional draft pick compensation after they already sacrificed their second- and fifth-highest picks to sign Max Fried. According to Heyman, while the Yankees admire Bregman, they question whether Yankee Stadium’s dimensions are a good fit for his power profile.
Another former Houston Astros star, Carlos Correa, has frequently been linked to the Yankees in trade rumors, though the Minnesota Twins are not currently motivated to move him. Correa, 30, is owed more than $30 million annually over the next four seasons, with vesting options that could keep him under contract at a reduced cost from his age 34 to age 37 seasons.
Aside from Bregman, the best remaining free-agent infielder is Ha-Seong Kim, a Gold Glove-caliber utility player who produced 6.9 fWAR over the past two seasons. Other notable stopgap options include Jose Iglesias, Paul DeJong, Amed Rosario, Yoán Moncada, and 2024 Yankee Jon Berti.
