The Detroit Tigers didn't make the playoffs in 2026, and they traded away Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize as their season fell apart.
But looking into the future, Tigers fans should have plenty of optimism. Kevin McGonigle is great, and there are other fun young players in the organization. Those youngsters are why a few veterans could be left out of the long-term plans.
Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter is predicting that the Tigers will let former New York Yankees All-Star infielder Gleyber Torres walk in free agency. Letting Torres go might sting, but there are a few good reasons why the Tigers could make this decision.
Tigers predicted to let Gleyber Torres walk in free agency
"Detroit Tigers: 2B Gleyber Torres (Age: 29). Verdict: Walk," Rueter predicted. The veteran infielder leaving in free agency would not be a huge surprise.
But why would it not be surprising to see the Tigers' veteran infielder leave the team this offseason? It's thanks to two key players that Reuter pointed out.
"Hao-Yu Lee (114 G, 107 OPS+, 31 XBH, 1.0 WAR) put together a strong rookie season, while Max Anderson (108 G, .302 BA, .863 OPS at Triple-A) is knocking on the door," Reuter writes.
MORE: Why Yankees might be Tarik Skubal's 'fallback' option in free agency
Torres' spot at second base is far from locked down, and either Anderson or Lee, or maybe both, could take over at second long-term for the Tigers.
Reuter is predicting the Tigers let Torres go this offseason and turn to Lee and Anderson to fill in for the former Yankees' All-Star.
Torres, while a good player, won't be as big of a loss as it might seem. The Tigers' backup options for second base are intriguing, and if they wanted to, they could even sign someone like Luis Arraez to fill in at second base.
With Torres likely to land a lofty contract, it makes more financial sense for the Tigers to let him go anyway. Combined with their two youngsters ready to take over, this prediction from Reuter makes a whole lot of sense for the Tigers this offseason.
