Fastball

With Gleyber Torres in Fold, Detroit Tigers Likely Out on Alex Bregman Signing

The domino effect from the Torres signing could be substantial.

Brady Farkas

Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (2) reacts after a play during the fifth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Minute Maid Park on Sept 8.
Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (2) reacts after a play during the fifth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Minute Maid Park on Sept 8. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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On Friday morning, it was reported that free agent infielder Gleyber Torres has signed on with the Detroit Tigers. The financial terms were not released as of this posting.

Torres hit .257 this year with 15 homers for the Yankees, who advanced all the way to the World Series. Torres was significantly better in the second half of the season as well, posting a 130 WRC+ from July 12-on. He is still just 28 years old and a former top prospect who was the centerpiece of the Yankees trade with the Cubs in 2016. Aroldis Chapman went back to Chicago in the deal and helped the Cubs win the World Series.

Lifetime, he's a .265 hitter who made the All-Star Game back in 2018 and 2019. He hit a career-high 38 homers back in 2019.

It seems likely at this point that Torres will play second or third base for Detroit, with Colt Keith playing in the other position. That likely takes the Tigers out of the running for Alex Bregman, who they had been connected to all offseason.

With Detroit seemingly off the table, the market is suddenly shrinking for Bregman. The Boston Red Sox have been known to be interested, as have the Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays represent the easiest fit, as they have a clear opening at third base, while Bregman may have to move to second to get to Boston.

The Astros are seemingly out after acquiring Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker. The Mariners need Bregman, but simply won't pay at the top of the market. The Mets and Yankees can't be counted out either.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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