Gleyber Torres, the New York Yankees’ star second baseman since 2018, elected to leave the Bronx as a free agent over the Christmas holidays, signing a one-year, $15 million deal with the Detroit Tigers.

Torres said his focus moved beyond the Yankees immediately after the World Series when he began hearing from other teams.

A return to the Yankees was not in the cards for Gleyber Torres. The second baseman said the Yankees were not particularly aggressive during his free agency before he signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the Detroit Tigers late last week. “I didn’t really have any offer from them,” Torres said during an introductory Zoom call.

The New York Yankees were linked to Jurickson Profar, a potential Gleyber Torres replacement predicted to land a $45 million deal.

Gleyber Torres wrote a heartfelt message to the New York Yankees and their fans after signing with the Tigers in free agency.

Former Yankees 2B Gleyber Torres signs with Detroit Tigers first appeared on Elite Sports NY, the Voice, the Pulse of New York City sports.

The New York Yankees have made two big trades this offseason and could make another with the New York Mets to replace Gleyber Torres.

The New York Yankees have a need at second base after they let Gleyber Torres walk. They could plug DJ LeMahieu in at second base, but he would not be much of an upgrade. They could trade for a young Kansas City Royals star.