Gleyber Torres teases Tigers contract talks during emotional Yankee Stadium return

The Detroit Tigers' 12-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday night marked a homecoming of sorts as Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres returned to the historic venue he called home during the first seven years of his career. While Torres did acknowledge that his final season with the Yankees didn't go as planned, he was grateful for the time he spent in New York.

“I really liked the fans and everything when I was playing here,” Torres said. “Unfortunately, whatever happened last year, is in the past. I always tried to do the best for the team, and for sure, for the fans. I tried to bring the energy every night when I got an opportunity to play.”

Signing a one-year deal with the Tigers last offseason, Torres has quickly become embraced by not only Tigers fans but also his teammates in Detroit. Named to the American League All-Star team this season, Torres enters the final weeks of the regular season with a slash line of .260/.364/.398 with a 117 wRC+ and 16 home runs.

Gleyber Torres drops hint about future with Tigers during Bronx trip

It's a level of production that evaded Torres during his final season with the Yankees and one that has positioned him to arguably be the best free agent second baseman available this offseason. Torres was asked about the potential of returning to the Tigers, and seemed to be open to the idea.

“Yeah, why not?” Torres said. “I haven’t had any conversation with the team yet. I think, like normal, they’re gonna wait for after the season. But yeah, let’s see.”

It would seem that the Tigers are interested in making sure Torres is on their roster in 2026 as well. As the team announced their 2026 schedule, Torres was included in the release video. Setting aside the potential tease, assuming the Tigers want to keep their contention window open, bringing Torres back to play second base next season does make sense, considering Colt Keith's recent move to third base.

Torres, despite a recent slump, has been largely consistent this season and has brought a reliable veteran presence to an otherwise young roster, and he's still in a favorable age range where a multi-year contract would likely do the Tigers good.