Gleyber Torres spent his entire major league career with the New York Yankees, consistently providing solid offense for the team. However, after the Yankees missed out on Juan Soto this offseason, Brian Cashman and the front office decided not to bring Torres back to play second base.
As a result, Torres now has a new team, signing a one-year contract with the Detroit Tigers, contributing to the rise of one of baseball’s most promising young teams. While there are still some questions about the Tigers’ second base defense, the move appears to be a win for both Torres and the Tigers. Torres, in particular, benefits from the fresh start, especially considering the Yankees reportedly never made him an offer.
Beyond the baseball side of things, Torres is also a winner because he no longer has to follow one of the most criticized rules in baseball—the Yankees’ ban on beards, long hair, and mutton chops. Though Torres hasn’t explicitly commented on the rule, his actions speak volumes. Upon joining the Tigers, Torres embraced his new look, which could best be described as a bold contrast to his Yankees days. His transformation from looking like a young player to someone who could easily save the day in a fire and cook a great steak has been widely praised on social media. 
The Yankees’ facial hair policy, often criticized for its outdated and misguided notions of professionalism, is well-known among baseball fans. While there’s no hard statistical evidence to suggest this change will significantly affect his performance, it’s hard not to imagine that Torres’ OPS, currently sitting at .774, could soon rise above .800. After all, with his new look and freedom from such a restrictive rule, it’s hard to see how it wouldn’t. Rather than using him off the bench or sending him back down to the minor leagues, the Tigers should trade him this offseason to ensure that they get something for him. They’d be selling remarkably low, but moving Keith over to first base suggests that the Tigers are completely done with Torkelson. A trade is probably in the best interest of all involved at this point.
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