Gleyber Torres and the New York Yankees fan base developed a relationship full of complications and frustration across seven years together. He came out of the gate hot as a rookie and was never too short on slug, but over the years, Torres' presence lost its luster.
Those negative feelings reached a fever pitch in 2024, when Torres bluntly refused to switch to third base and forced Jazz Chisholm Jr. to learn a new position on the fly. That was probably for the best — Chisholm is a much better defender — but Torres did not always express the team-first, goal-oriented ideals more traditional baseball fans espouse.
When it came time to test the free agent market, Torres' departure was practically a foregone conclusion. He wound up with the Detroit Tigers on a one-year, $15 million deal. Freed from the shackles of Yankee Stadium, Torres has been blunt in his assessment of his tenure in the Bronx.
"From the beginning (of spring training with the Tigers), I was in the dugout and I saw everybody running first to third,” Torres told The Athletic. “I didn’t do that before. It’s a brand new game for me."
Torres looks great through a couple months in Detroit. He's slashing .300/.360/.475 with four home runs, 15 RBI and four stolen bases. As for the Yankees' infield in his absence? Well, uh ... not great, Bob.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Yankees ought to regret letting Gleyber Torres walk after Jazz Chisholm, D.J. LeMahieu injuries strike
New York's infield has reached dire straits amid injuries to Jazz Chisholm Jr. and D.J. LeMahieu. Chisholm is expected to miss four-to-six weeks with an oblique strain. LaMahieu recently had his rehab stint sidetracked due to a creeping issue with his hip. In their absence, the Yankees are turning to the likes of Oswaldo Cabrera and Jorbit Vivas out of desperation.
This is not uncharted territory for either of them. LeMahieu has been more or less durable since arriving in New York, but he's not immune to the occasional injury stint. As for Chisholm, this isn't his first rodeo with an oblique strain. He's a fun player when he's on the field, but reliability and availability has never been a strength.
Torres would be providing significant pop behind the likes of Trent Grishman, Ben Rice and of course Aaron Judge in the Yankees lineup right now. Maybe Torres doesn't experience this sort of revival with a team he so clearly felt uncomfortable with, but even your run-of-the-mill Torres season would be a huge boon for this snakebitten Yankees infield. New York's lineup falls off a cliff once you move past the initial heavyweights at the top, so Torres' .835 OPS looks awfully appealing from afar. It can't help Yankees fans feel any better that Detroit is 20-12, a full 1.5 games better in the AL standings.
The Yankees probably felt like letting Torres walk was like getting rid of a headache. Clearly both sides yearned for new experiences. As this season progresses, however, don't be shocked if New York's regret only increases as Torres helps lead the young Tigers into new territory.