Gleyber Torres, the New York Yankees’ star second baseman since 2018, chose to leave the team as a free agent during the Christmas holidays, signing a one-year, $15 million contract with the Detroit Tigers. According to reports, Torres deliberately took the one-year deal, betting on himself for a big year.
“I really believe in myself,” said the 28-year-old Venezuelan infielder in an interview with the Detroit Free Press. “I always bet on myself. In this process, I tried to find the right place to play for one year. I got a few opportunities with other teams, but the young team in Detroit, the group looks like a family.”
By aiming for a standout season in Detroit, Torres hopes to secure a long-term contract worth at least $100 million when he re-enters free agency before the 2026 season. This strategy also keeps the door open for a potential return to the Yankees on a larger deal than they might have offered him otherwise.
Meanwhile, the Yankees are left with a gap at second base, losing the 15-home run production Torres provided. As the offseason heads into 2025 with just 38 days before Spring Training, the team has yet to fill that void.
Speculation on Torres’ Replacement Runs Wild
Who will step in to replace Torres? Speculation has run rampant, with suggestions ranging from high-profile middle infielders like the Minnesota Twins’ $200 million Carlos Correa to New York Mets All-Star Jeff McNeil, and even less well-known options such as the Kansas City Royals’ Michael Massey.
A new, potentially more obscure name has emerged this week as a possible replacement — one who could match or even exceed Torres’ power while costing the Yankees little in terms of trade assets or payroll. This name may ring a bell for hardcore Yankee fans: Edouard Julien, a second baseman born in Quebec, Canada, who recorded both his first Major League hit and first home run at Yankee Stadium on April 13, 2023.
Julien is a left-handed hitter from Auburn University who was drafted by the Twins in the 18th round of the 2019 draft. In just three years (excluding the 2020 COVID season when the minor leagues were paused), he earned a spot on the Twins’ big league roster, hitting 16 home runs as a rookie and finishing seventh in the 2023 Rookie of the Year voting.
Julien’s Performance and Trade Speculation
Julien’s production dipped in 2024, with only eight home runs, though Twins Daily writer Matthew Trueblood believes his struggles were mental, possibly a case of the “yips.” Trueblood noted that Julien seemed to regain his form toward the end of the season. Still, his 24 home runs and 2.5 Wins Above Replacement in 203 big league games are solid for a young middle infielder.
Rumors have suggested that the Yankees could acquire Julien by offering 25-year-old first baseman Ben Rice, the No. 12 ranked prospect in the Yankees’ system heading into 2024. However, the Julien speculation has gained such traction that it reached the popular Yankees blog Bleeding Yankee Blue, where the authors expressed skepticism.
“Here we are, trying to plug the Gleyber Torres-sized hole in the infield with… Edouard Julien? Really?” the blog wrote. “This guy — who’s basically a strikeout machine with occasional fireworks — is supposed to be our savior?”
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