Every ballplayer dreams of hitting free agency and landing a massive multi-year contract. That didn’t happen for Gleyber Torres last offseason. Instead, he inked a one-year deal with the Detroit Tigers. But if his current trajectory holds, the big payday he’s been chasing could finally be on the horizon this winter.
Now 28, Torres has been a standout performer for a Tigers team tied with the Dodgers for the best record in baseball at 52-32. He’s batting .284 with a .388 on-base percentage and a .440 slugging mark, good for a career-high 135 OPS+—meaning he’s been 35% better than the average hitter. He’s also tallied 2.2 WAR (according to Baseball-Reference) and just advanced to Phase 2 of All-Star voting.
If selected, this would be Torres’ third All-Star nod and his first since 2019—a reminder of the highs and lows of his early career with the Yankees. Acquired as a prospect from the Cubs in 2016, he quickly rose to top-10 prospect status and burst onto the MLB scene in 2018, racking up 6.3 WAR and 62 homers over his first two seasons, appearing destined for stardom.
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Then came the downturn. His 2020 struggles could be chalked up to the COVID-shortened season and preparation issues, but 2021 marked a true step back as he posted just a 93 OPS+ while slashing .259/.331/.366. While he bounced back somewhat in 2022 and 2023 with OPS+ marks of 113 and 118, he still hadn’t returned to his early-career form.
2024 was supposed to be the year that launched him into a lucrative free agency, but instead, he stumbled, hitting .257/.330/.378 with a 101 OPS+ and leading all second basemen in errors for a second straight year. That inconsistency dimmed his market, and he settled for a one-year, \$15 million deal with Detroit.
This season, however, Torres has quietly become one of baseball’s most complete second basemen. He’s walked 42 times and struck out just 39, one of only five qualified hitters with more walks than strikeouts—joining the likes of Mookie Betts, Geraldo Perdomo, Juan Soto, and Kyle Tucker. His .388 OBP ranks fifth in the American League.
While elite plate discipline is expected from someone like Soto, it’s a new development for Torres. During his Yankees years, his walk rate fluctuated from 6.8% to 13.8%, while his strikeout rate ranged from 14.6% to 25.2%. In 2025, those numbers have stabilized at 13.7% and 12.7%, respectively. That kind of shift in approach highlights the unpredictability that’s defined his career.
Assuming he avoids a second-half slump, Torres is primed to finally secure the multi-year deal he’s always pursued. A contract worth nine figures could be waiting for him in free agency—he just had to take the long road to get there.
