Newest Detroit Tigers Star Talks Tense Ending To Tenure With New York Yankees

The Detroit Tigers made a big signing in free agency back in December which sees them land a major bat into the lineup from the most well known franchise in all of baseball.

After seven seasons with the New York Yankees, the team essentially parted ways with two-time All-Star second baseman Gleyber Torres, allowing him to hit free agency and not even making him an offer to return to the Bronx.

Torres had not been as prolific at the plate over the last several seasons as he was in the beginning of his career along with struggles on the defensive side of the ball, leaving the Yankees to move in another direction.

But what ultimately may have been the catalyst to the break up was Torres not wanting to switch from the second base postion after New York traded for Jazz Chisholm Jr. at the trade deadline.

With the Yankees forcing him from the only position he's known as a professional, Torres wanted out and ends up instead with a young, ascending Tigers team with the potential to possibly give the defending American League champions trouble.

Since he's wound up in Detroit, there has been a sort of war of words between the New York and Torres, and the slugger was asked about it point blank at spring training on Monday.

"To be honest, I don’t know what’s going on there," Torres said via Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic. “I believed everything was good, but [now] I think no. So I don’t want to give any comments...Whatever they have, they have. I’m just focusing on my goals this year, how to get better and help my team."

With the Yankees now in the rearview for Torres and him being installed comfortably at second base, perhaps he will be able to put things behind him and have a great season for the Tigers.

Given he signed a one-year deal, Torres is once again playing as an impending free agent, giving him all the motivation in the world to go out and have a big year.

Grading out as the worst defensive second baseman in all of baseball in 2024, perhaps the change of scenery Detroit provides will take some of the added pressure of Torres and allow him to flourish.

Having just turned 28 years old, there's reason to believe he still has plenty of solid baseball left in the tank.

Over the first two years of his career, Torres mashed 62 home runs with 167 RBI, but since then he has been nothing more than a solid hitter with the potential for 20-plus home runs. Now, he will try to turn back the clock and prove he's still one of the more feared hitters in baseball.

If Detroit can get anything close to the All-Star version of Torres he was to begin his career in 2018 and 2019, this may have been an absolute steal by the Tigers from the team they are trying to chase down to win their first American League pennant in over a decade.

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