A large part of the fun of being a baseball fan is speculating about the future of our favorite team. Many of us believe that we could ultimately mastermind success for our “local nine” like we attempt to do with our fantasy baseball teams.
During the offseason, many of us like to consider the possibilities of what our favorite ballclub’s respective baseball operations and ownership will do to help improve the team in the coming season (even though we know little about the team’s internal planning or proprietary analytics).
With the Tigers coming off their surprise ’24 playoff appearance and an inspired end-of-season performance, expectations are now a bit higher for 2025 than they have been for nearly a decade.
So far this offseason, Tigers fans have had very little to be excited about because the only addition that the team had made was a solid, veteran mid-rotation starting pitcher in Alex Cobb.
Many fans were likely beginning to wonder if Cobb might be the only player budgeted for acquisition this winter. Recently there’s been an increasing buzz about some remaining options that the Tigers might still pursue.
None that I had heard mentioned any speculation about their eventual signing of free-agent second baseman Gleyber Torres. This has all been a bit of a surprise.
Torres was once one of baseball’s most highly touted prospects (in 2018 he was Baseball America’s sixth-ranked prospect in their Top 100).
After the Yankees acquired him from the Cubs in exchange for stalwart relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman, Torres finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2018. The following year he received MVP votes, when he hit 38 home runs.
Since 2019 Torres has been a steady, but less remarkable performer.
He’d also been somewhat of a polarizing presence for Yankees fans, as both a below-average fielder and a player prone to baserunning gaffes.
But for Tigers fans, Torres represents an immediate player upgrade and helps buttress their left-handed heavy batting lineup, balancing it out with a righty bat that can offer both professional at-bats and some much-needed additional slugging.
Chris Brown, of the Motor City Metrics podcast, compares the Torres signing to the Tigers’ addition last year of Mark Canha:
From 2022-2024:
Gleyber Torres - .263/.330/.427, 64HR, 113 wRC+
Mark Canha - .257/.356/.384, 31HR, 113 wRC+
“Different players with different profiles, but kind of the same idea as last year. Add a veteran righty bat to support the young lefties and provide [Spencer Torkelson] insurance.”
Unfortunately, Canha didn’t offer quite the same slugging and lineup protection that the Tigers hope they’ll get from Torres in ’25.
Torres is a former two-time All-Star who also brings the veteran experience of 200 postseason plate appearances.
For his part, team president Scott Harris believes the Tigers can help Torres unlock even more of his untapped potential, and he’s not above some hopeful speculation himself.
“We think there is more in there, on both sides of the ball,” Harris told reporters on Friday. “We saw [Torres] tap into a little bit more of his offensive upside in the second half and in the postseason.”
According to Rogelio Castillo, of Motor City Metrics, there is some supporting data:
Gleyber Torres’s numbers at Comerica:
15-for-53 (.283/.377/.673) with 5 home runs.
“Outside of Camden Yards, that’s the most home runs he has hit on the road (tied with Toronto).”
To Torres’s credit, he’s also expressed a desire to try to push himself to meet some of those former expectations. His willingness to gamble on his own ability by taking an affordable, one-year deal to prove himself during the prime of his baseball career is a form of speculation of its own.
With Harris announcing that last year’s second baseman Colt Keith will now move to first base, there’s now even more to consider.
Generally, first basemen are expected to be even more productive offensively, especially by adding slugging to the lineup and helping to produce runs. Conventional wisdom indicates that pushing Keith to a less-demanding defensive position should help his offense meet the increased demands.
It’s also implied that Keith’s season of valuable experience and considerable talent should organically help his offensive production improve.
So after adding Torres at second base and shifting Keith over to first, the final bit of speculation (at least for the Tigers’ infield) is who will now play third base — and what becomes of former first overall draft pick Spencer Torkelson?
I believe that third base is now the primary remaining puzzle piece for Harris and Tigers baseball operations. There’s a lot to be determined there.
Adding an affordable, outside upgrade seems like something they have to be at least considering.
Harris also addressed Torkelson’s future in his Gleyber Torres press conference. Adding Torres (and shifting Keith) is a hedge for the possibility of Torkelson continuing to fall out of favor with the organization.
The Tigers have still left the door open for Tork to establish his future value for them by improving his performance. In that case, it’ll take the force of Torkelson’s will — and not future speculation — for his fortunes to ultimately change.
