In the midst of a mediocre 2016 season, where the New York Yankees were on track to finish with 84 wins and had yet to surpass 90 wins for four consecutive years, the team decided it was time to reset at the trade deadline.
Instead of making a push for the playoffs with a slightly above .500 roster, the Yankees made three significant trades, sending Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, and Carlos Beltran to the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Guardians, and Texas Rangers, respectively. In return, they acquired 12 players, with ten of them making it to the majors. However, only Gleyber Torres, Clint Frazier, Ben Heller, Adam Warren, and Billy McKinney played for the Yankees. Some of the players received in the trade, including Justus Sheffield and Erik Swanson, were later traded to the Seattle Mariners for James Paxton, while Dillon Tate was sent to the Baltimore Orioles for Zack Britton.
Of all the players the Yankees received in that rare sell-off, Torres remained the longest. However, his time in New York officially ended when he signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Tigers on Friday.
Despite a busy offseason for the Yankees, including the signings of Max Fried, Paul Goldschmidt, and the acquisitions of Devin Williams and Cody Bellinger, the team made no attempt to keep Torres. Torres had expressed a desire to remain with the Yankees during spring training, but confirmed during his introductory press conference with the Tigers that no offer was made to him.
Torres began his career with the Yankees with strong numbers, hitting .271 with 24 home runs and 77 RBIs. His best year came in 2019 when he was an All-Star, hitting .278 with 38 homers and 90 RBIs. However, after that, his production dipped, and he struggled defensively at second base and later at shortstop in 2021, where he committed 18 errors in 108 games. The Yankees moved him back to second base in 2022, where his power returned with 24 homers and 76 RBIs. In the challenging 2023 season, where Aaron Judge missed nearly two months, Torres remained one of the most consistent Yankees, hitting .273 with 25 homers and 68 RBIs.
Torres had a mixed season in 2023, finishing with a .257 average, 15 homers, and 63 RBIs. He began and ended the year as the leadoff hitter but struggled with a .226 average until late June. After being moved out of the leadoff spot for a brief period, he returned to it in mid-August and had a strong finish, hitting .298 with a .786 OPS in his final 74 games. It was this second-half resurgence that made him confident in signing a one-year deal, with the belief that his performance in those months better reflected his potential moving forward.
“I really believe in myself,” Torres said in his press conference. “I always bet on myself. In this process, I tried to find the right place to play one year. I got a few opportunities with other teams, but the young team in Detroit, the group looks like a family.”
Torres joins an 86-win Tigers team that came close to reaching the ALCS, and he had several suitors, including the Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, and Toronto Blue Jays. Ultimately, the Tigers showed interest in Torres, believing that at 28 years old, there is more potential in his game.
“We think there’s more in there on both sides of the ball,” said Tigers President of Baseball Operations Scott Harris. “If you go back and look at his season, we saw him tap into a little bit more of his offensive upside in the second half and the postseason. We think there’s more in there. Gleyber does, too. And then defensively, we also think there’s more in there.”
Torres will be remembered for his inconsistent performances on both offense and defense during his time with the Yankees. However, his departure seemed inevitable, providing an opportunity for him to join a younger team and possibly thrive as a seasoned veteran on a developing roster. When the Tigers visit the Yankees, Torres will likely receive a warm reception for his contributions to the team over the years.
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