Blue Jays 2025 free agent target: Gleyber Torres

Torres took his game to new heights in 2019, smashing 38 home runs and finishing with an .871 OPS. It appeared like the Caracas-born infielder was poised to be a star for years to come. However, his power numbers dried up over the next couple of seasons, hitting just 12 home runs across 169 games – thanks in part to injuries and the COVID-shortened 2020 season. A permanent move to second base got him back on track in 2022, posting his best season by fWAR (3.7) while hitting 24 homers. After a 25-homer year in 2023, his numbers once again fluctuated in 2024, hitting just 15 round-trippers with a .709 OPS, reaching free agency at the age of 27.

Coming off a lacklustre season, Torres opted to sign a one-year, $15 million deal with Detroit last offseason, looking to get back on track and set himself up for a big payday. Let’s take a look at how his season went and what his market looks like this winter.

2025 MLB Stats

Torres has had an up-and-down career to this point, and his inconsistency was especially present throughout the 2025 campaign.

The end-of-year numbers look decent, albeit unspectacular: 16 home runs, a career high walk rate of 13.5%, .745 OPS, and 2.6 fWAR. In some ways, his 2025 season was a microcosm of his career. He started the year off hot, slashing .281/.387/.425 with more walks than strikeouts, earning his first All-Star selection since 2019. Unfortunately, he wasn’t nearly as productive in the second half, slashing .223/.320/.339 as the Tigers squandered a massive AL Central lead.

One notable split in his 2025 numbers was his success against left-handed pitching compared to right. He produced a .897 OPS against lefties, with a gaudy .224 isolated power mark. Compare this to his .690 OPS against righties, where his power (.098 ISO) evaporated. He has always been much better against lefties in his career, but 2025 was a bit of an outlier.

Defensively, Torres was below average, finishing 16th out of 21 second basemen in fielding value (-1.5). His Savant page illustrates his defensive shortcomings, finishing in the 12th percentile in fielding range and in the 9th percentile for throwing arm strength.

Does Torres fit with the Blue Jays?

If the Jays are unable to retain the services of Bichette, Torres could certainly be in play. It’s hard to know what kind of market we could expect the former Tiger to have, as his inconsistent numbers will likely scare some teams from giving him more than a two or three-year contract. It is worth mentioning that Detroit did surprisingly extend a qualifying offer (worth $22.02 million), a figure that Torres isn’t likely to achieve from an AAV standpoint. If he rejects the offer, Kiley McDonald of ESPN predicts a deal worth $57 million over three years.

Torres’ patient approach is the trait that would perhaps be most attractive for the Blue Jays. Although his 13.5 BB% was his career high, he is typically around the 10% mark for his career. For a player whose best power days are likely behind him, finding a way on base via a free pass will be crucial for him to hold value. Likely a below-average second baseman moving forward, there’s still a good chance he would be a better defensive player than Bichette would be at the keystone. Signing Torres would push Ernie Clement into more of a full-time role at third base.

Although far from a perfect player, the Blue Jays may be willing to take a chance on him based on his age (29 on opening day), playoff experience, and success against left-handed pitching. Since they are all in for the 2026 season, losing Bichette may force the Jays to make a move for a veteran like Torres, but retaining Bichette is still the priority here before pivoting accordingly.