The Detroit Tigers have just suffered an absolutely heartbreaking playoff exit by being on the wrong end of a 15-inning thriller on Friday night to once again fall one game shy of their first ALCS since 2013.
While Detroit will spend the next couple of weeks picking up the pieces and getting over such an emotional loss, it has never been more clear that improvements will have to be made if they want any hope of a deeper run.
The Tigers wasted yet another Tarik Skubal masterclass with an inability to generate offense and outside of Kerry Carpenter, just a massive series of flops from their biggest names in the lineup. Detroit is going to look different next season, but the question is just how different.
Faces will come and go, but one name the team will have to make a decision on made two notable announcements after the loss in now once again free agent second baseman Gleyber Torres.
Oct 8, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) hits a solo home run against the Seattle Mariners in the seventh inning during game four of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Comerica Park. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
After the game, Torres said via Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic on X (formerly Twitter) that he had been playing through a sports hernia for the last month that is going to require offseason surgery. This obviously could complicate his free agent market after excelling on the one-year prove it deal he signed with Detroit.
“We did whatever we (could) at the moment to keep me playing every day. It was not easy, but I can play with pain,” Torres said despite his struggles at the plate down the stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs.
Torres was fairly productive in the series overall against the Seattle Mariners, but like virtually every other bat in the lineup, he disappeared when it mattered most. It was what he said about his upcoming free agency that was really notable, however.
Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres bats a double against Mariners during the third inning of ALDS Game 3 at Comerica Park in Detroit on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
According to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, Torres told media he has legitimate interest in a reunion with Detroit. Starting the All-Star game, the 28-year-old was one of the team’s more productive hitters throughout the season.
Torres slashed .256/.358/.387 with 16 home runs and 74 RBI across 145 regular season games during his debut season in the Motor City. After posting a 2.9 bWAR, Torres is due for a payday, but perhaps it’s reasonable enough still that should the Tigers decide they want to keep him, they can comfortably extend him a competitive offer.
After fading down the stretch and now revealing an injury that requires surgery, Torres’ stock isn’t exactly sky high. With that being said, no one is more acutely aware of what he can do at his best than a Detroit team he just helped to take to the playoffs.
If the interest is mutual on both sides here, it would not be a huge shock to see Torres wind up sticking around with the Tigers on at least a two or three-year type of deal.