Gleyber Torres (28), an infielder who played for the New York Yankees and was selected as an All-Star twice, has joined the FA team. He headed to the Detroit Tigers, which was mentioned as one of the destinations of the same central infielder Kim Ha-sung (29). 스포츠토토

"New York Post" reporter John Heyman said on the 28th (Korea Standard Time) that FA infielder Torres agreed to a contract with Detroit. ESPN reporter Jesse Rogers announced that it is a one-year, $15 million condition. 

With rookie Colt Keith playing as the starting second baseman this year, he has shown promise in 148 games with a batting average of 260 (134 hits in 516 at-bats) with 13 homers and 61 RBIs. However, as the starting third baseman Gio Asela moved to the Athletics, he brought in Torres to the infield, which created a gap. With second baseman Torres, Keith is expected to move to the third baseman, first baseman, or corner infield. 

Torres has a strong attachment to second base, shortstop, and central infield position. According to Hayman, Torres refused to accept the offer from the Washington Nationals because he did not want to take on the third base. Torres refused to move to third base from the Yankees even during this season. There was a possibility that Jazzy Chisom Jr., who played second base for the Miami Marlins, could join the team in a trade at the end of July, but Torres did not accept the offer. Finally, Chisom Jr. watched the defense at third base. 

Torres is very weak in defense. Since his Major League debut as a second baseman in the Yankees in 2018, he started as a shortstop between 2020 and 2021, but returned to the second base amid instability in defense. However, he also made the most errors at second base for two consecutive years last year (15 games) and this year (18 games). Outs Above Average (OAA), which refers to the contribution of outcounts to average, was also ranked among the lowest 14 percent in the league with -4 this year. He has a narrow field of defense and weak throwing intensity. His average throwing speed was 75.2 miles per hour (121.0 kilometers), ranking only at the bottom 7 percent. 

As a second baseman and shortstop, he has strong defense weaknesses, and hence people are constantly saying that he should move to third base. Given his excellent slugging ability, he can expect to become a big shot third baseman, but Torres is not eager to leave the central infield, which was his original position. After fulfilling his will, he will reject Washington's offer and start anew in Detroit. 

Since his debut in 2018, Torres, a Venezuelan outfielder, has played for the Yankees for seven years, posting a batting average of 265 (8,70 hits in 3,281 at-bats) and a total of 138 home runs, 441 RBIs and an OPS of .774 in 888 games. Since his first year in 2018, he has been named an All-Star with 24 home runs and ranked third in the AL Rookie of the Year. In 2019, he posted a batting average of 278 (152 hits in 546 at-bats) with 38 home runs and 90 RBIs in OPS.871 in 144 games, showing stellar performance that eclipsed his second-year jinx. As he was named an All-Star for the second consecutive year, he ranked 17th in the AL MVP voting. 

However, 2019 was a career-high season. Torres regained slugging power by hitting 24 home runs in 2022 and 25 home runs last year, but was not as explosive as in the first or second year. This year, which was the FA season, he still had a batting average of 257 (151 hits in 587 at-bats) with 15 home runs and 63 RBIs in 15 games. 

He also lost his fans' heart by playing often that lacked concentration as much as his performance. On August 3, he thought it was a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays, and he was replaced with a reprimand as he watched the ball with a single hit. Since then, he has been criticized by Yankees manager Aaron Boone, which has become controversial. His batting performance has also fallen due to constant defensive instability, and his FA value has decreased due to frequent exposure to unfaithful plays.

After the season, the Yankees said goodbye to Torres by not making a qualifying offer for 21.05 million U.S. dollars per year. Torres also hinted at a move early on, saying that he would not trade with the Yankees on social media. Torres was interested in the Los Angeles Angels, which was weak at second base but did not prefer a Western team, and ended up building a new home in Detroit. 

As Torres went to Detroit, the destination of FA Kim Ha-sung, a similar position, also decreased by one. The U.S. media "Blitzer Report" predicted a four-year, $60 million contract on the 24th, citing Detroit as a team for Kim Ha-sung to go to, but it was far from reality. Detroit, where the main shortstop Javier Baez has been reduced to an FA eat-out, showed potential for growth in the second half of the year by Trey Sweeney, a prospect brought in by trade from the Los Angeles Dodgers. It seems to be pushing Sweeney by filling the infield vacancy by recruiting second baseman Torres.