Gleyber Torres' official decision on Tigers' qualifying offer will shake up 2026

Gleyber Torres was one of 13 players to receive the $22.025 million qualifying offer this offseason, but he had more reason to accept than most. He was reportedly speaking with teams at GM Meetings to garner interest on a four-year deal, which was certainly plausible, but there was no way he'd get a higher AAV than what the QO offered.

Plus, Torres liked Detroit. The Tigers loved him. Why not stay for one more season and potentially head into free agency next year with an even stronger case for himself?

Tuesday was decision day, and in a stampede of reporting on QO candidates, Jon Heyman reported that Torres had accepted and will stay with the Tigers in 2026.

Shockingly, he isn't the only one. At the time of the Torres news, Shota Imanaga, Brandon Woodruff, and Trent Grisham had all also accepted from the Cubs, Brewers, and Yankees, respectively.

Since the QO was introduced in 2012, only 14 players have ever accepted it. Torres, Imanaga, Woodruff, and Grisham have officially set a new record for acceptances.

Gleyber Torres accepts Tigers' $22.025 million qualifying offer to stay in Detroit for one more season

Torres' acceptance could have implications for the way the rest of the Tigers' offseason will play out. The Tigers have an estimated $60.75 million coming onto the books to pay arbitration-eligible players including Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, and Kerry Carpenter, and now they'll add $22.025 million for Torres.

Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic believes that the Tigers will be able to accommodate a large contract for a potential free agent target (Alex Bregman or Bo Bichette in particular, who both surprised no one by turning down their own QOs) even with all of the new payroll considerations.

It's reassuring to hear that from an insider, but no one would blame Tigers fans who remain skeptical based on the team's track record. Certainly, signing a player like Bregman or Bichette has become at least a little bit more of a distant possibility, given that the Tigers' main priority this offseason will (and should be) pitching.

As far as Torres goes, fans are more than happy to see him return. The Tigers still need his plate discipline and veteran leadership. Hopefully he'll be able to get back to the first-half, All-Star form he was in before a hernia got in his way in the second half and the postseason.