After the 2024 season, it seemed like a Gleyber Torres reunion with the Yankees was unlikely, and that turned out to be true when the infielder signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Tigers on Friday.

While the longtime Yankee infielder was appreciative of his time in The Bronx, he also revealed that his former team did not extend an offer his way when he hit free agency once the season was over.

“After the World Series, I got a lot of phone calls from other teams and just focused to get an opportunity in another place,” Torres told reporters in his introductory Zoom call with the Tigers. “I feel like I have to play where somebody wants to give the best for me, and I just want to be available to do the best for the team.

“I've got great friends there, great communication with the entire organization. I feel proud of myself for being with the Yankees for seven years, but now I'm with Detroit and just really happy they gave me the opportunity to play next year.”

Torres, 28, started 888 games for New York over his seven seasons with the Yankees but never reached the heights of his first couple of years. In his rookie campaign, Torres became an All-Star and finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting when he slashed .271/.340.480 with 24 home runs and 77 RBI.

His high-water mark was his sophomore year when he hit .278 and smashed a career-high 38 home runs and drove in 90 runs.

What followed were a few disappointing seasons before Torres bounced back in 2023, hitting 25 homers and slashing .273/.347/.453. In 2024, the veteran infielder struggled, leading the league in errors (18) and slashing just .257/.330/.378 -- a lot of those numbers coming in the second half of the season.

Despite his up-and-down tenure with the Yankees, New York still needed to fill out their infield this offseason, which left the door open for Torres to return but the Venezuela native felt he was never on the Yankees' radar, especially after not extending a qualifying offer to him -- Juan Soto was the only player to receive one from the team.

"I think they have other priorities and I'm not on the list,” Torres told Hoch. “I'm good.”

While Torres will start the next chapter of his career in Detroit, the Yankees still don’t have a replacement, yet, at second base. They signed former NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt to play first base but there is still a hole at third or second, depending on where the team wants Jazz Chisholm Jr. to play. Alex Bregman and Nolan Arenado are names attached to the Yankees this offseason, but the team could also go with internal options like Oswaldo Cabrera and DJ LeMahieu in the infield.

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