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Gleyber Torres Releases Classy Statement Thanking Yankees After Signing With Tigers

The second baseman spent seven seasons in New York.

Tim Capurso

New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres hits a two run home run in the third inning against the Kansas City Royals during Game 1 of the ALDS at Yankee Stadium.
New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres hits a two run home run in the third inning against the Kansas City Royals during Game 1 of the ALDS at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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After seven seasons with the New York Yankees, free agent second baseman Gleyber Torres on Friday agreed to a one-year contract worth $15 million with the Detroit Tigers. After news of the deal's agreement broke, Torres took to his account on X (formerly Twitter) to thank the Yankees organization, fans and his teammates.

"Wow where to start or how to start," Torres wrote. "Thank you. The Yankees were my family since 2016. A simple boy from Venezuela with great aspirations to play in the most epic city in the world, the Yankees gave me all the love and support I needed to achieve my childhood dream.

"Wearing pinstripes was an honor for me and my family."

Here's Torres's full statement.

New York acquired Torres in a prospect-laden trade for then-relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman in July of 2016. Regarded as highly as a top five prospect in all of baseball in 2017, Torres burst onto the scene as a rookie in '18, posting a .820 OPS with 3.6 WAR as a 21-year-old rookie in 123 games played for a playoff-bound Yankees team.

Torres followed up his standout rookie season with an even better sophomore campaign, clubbing 38 home runs while starting the majority of his games at shortstop for the first time in pinstripes. While he never again approached the power numbers of his '19 season, Torres remained a steady contributor over the course of the next five seasons in the Bronx.

In seven seasons, Torres posted a .265/.334/.441 slashline with 138 home runs, 441 RBI, 460 runs scored and 53 stolen bases in 888 games played with New York.

Torres joins an up-and-coming Tigers team that advanced to the postseason for the first time since 2014.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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