The next deadline for MLB offseason is officially here: qualifying offers. 13 players who hit free agency this year were offered one-year $22.025M QO for the 2026 season, and one of the 13 was second baseman for the Detroit Tigers, Gleyber Torres.
Torres was arguably the most surprising of those who were offered these deals, as it seemed a bit excessive for the season that he just had, as it was below his career averages in nearly every aspect. Then in the postseason, he posted an OPS under .700 to go with his lone RBI and home run.
Even though it was puzzling for the Tigers to extend this offer in the first place, it felt like a no-brainer for Torres to accept. This was a major raise from the contract he had in 2025, and he was arguably not going to find another organization to pay him that kind of money.
Torres with the Tigers
Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Torres is about to be 29 years old, and where some players at his age might have only been in the majors for a few years, he will be entering his ninth season. He made his debut back in April of 2018 for the New York Yankees, which is where he stayed until he hit free agency at the end of 2024.
The Tigers picked him up on a one-year $15M deal, which immediately proved to be a great decision as he rightfully was selected for the All-Star game, but like the rest of the team, his performance quickly went downhill in the second half of the season. By the end of it, his slash line (besides on-base percentage) was below average for him.
.256 Batting Average (.264 career) .358 On-Base Percentage (.337 career) .387 Slugging Percentage (.433 career).745 OPS (.770 career)
Even though it wasn’t his best work in terms of a slash line, he led the team in drawn walks with 85 as one of their leading offensive weapons. Torres had the third-most runs (79), second-most hits (136), fourth-most home runs (16), and third-most RBI (74).
It would not have been astonishing for the Tigers to pursue him if he elected free agency, but the QO is $7 million more than $7M he was paid in 2025. It would be easy to argue that his performance may not have warranted that kind of a raise.
The organization is putting a lot of faith in Torres with this QO, and now that he has accepted it, they are hoping he comes through as a big bat for the team. It seems now that there is less money to go after another one, but that is ultimately what they need as well as locking down Kyle Finnegan for the bullpen.
There will be a lot of moves made by the Tigers this offseason as they try to avoid the same heartbreaking end to their season for the third year in a row, a loss in game five of the ALDS. Plenty of questions surround Tarik Skubal as he is only under the team’s control for another year, but that isn’t the only factor surrounding the team’s success.
This was a big play in this chess game, and now it will be captivating to see who they now pursue with the massive pay bump that Torres just received.
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