A return to the Yankees was not within the playing cards for Gleyber Torres.
The second baseman mentioned the Yankees weren’t notably aggressive throughout his free company earlier than he signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the Detroit Tigers late final week.
“I didn’t really have any offer from them,” Torres mentioned throughout an introductory Zoom name.
Torres, 28, had expressed hope up to now that he would re-sign with the Yankees, together with throughout spring coaching when he mentioned he needed to be “a Yankee for life.”
However Torres, who spent his first seven MLB seasons in pinstripes, suffered a drop in manufacturing in his stroll 12 months, batting .257 with 15 dwelling runs, 63 RBI and a .709 OPS in 2024. His 18 errors led MLB second basemen.
Torres completed robust with a .306 common and a .792 OPS in the course of the last two months of the common season, a stretch through which he flourished after shifting to the Yankees’ leadoff spot. He batted .241 with two dwelling runs and eight RBI in 14 playoff video games, which proved to be his last appearances with the Yankees.
“I have to play where somebody wants to give the best for me,” Torres mentioned.
Torres’ illustration stayed in contact with the Yankees in the course of the offseason, the infielder mentioned Saturday, echoing feedback made by common supervisor Brian Cashman earlier within the month.
“I’ve got great friends there, great communication with the entire organization,” Torres mentioned. “I feel proud of myself for being with the Yankees for seven years, but now I’m with Detroit and just really happy they gave me the opportunity to play next year.”
Initially acquired as a high prospect within the 2016 commerce that despatched nearer Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs, the righty-swinging Torres earned two All-Star choices and hit at the very least 24 dwelling runs in 4 of his seasons with the Yankees.
However Torres was briefly benched twice in 2024. The primary occasion got here in June, when supervisor Aaron Boone noticed a chance to assist the struggling hitter “reset” but additionally acknowledged Torres’ failure to expire a floor ball caught his consideration. Boone cited a groin problem for Torres on the time as nicely.
The second occasion got here in early August after Torres didn’t hustle out of the batter’s field on what ended up being an extended single.
“He had a lot of opportunities to go to different places this winter on longer deals than the one he took,” Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris mentioned. “But his agents were very upfront with me about his desire to bet on himself, and honestly, that made me want him more.”
Torres’ departure leaves a void atop the Yankees’ lineup and a emptiness of their infield. Jazz Chisholm Jr., who performed third base after arriving in a midseason commerce in July, may transfer again to his extra pure second base in 2025, relying on if the Yankees add a 3rd baseman.
DJ LeMahieu, who hit .204 throughout an injury-riddled 2024 season, and utility man Oswaldo Cabrera are in-house infield choices.
