When Gleyber Torres accepted his qualifying offer from the Detroit Tigers, the reaction around Detroit was mostly simple relief.
Good player? Check. Short-term commitment? Check. Middle infield stability? Check. But the real impact of Torres signing that one-year deal wasn’t just about filling a lineup spot; it was that he may have quietly saved the Tigers from making a franchise-altering mistake.
For months, Tigers fans were bracing for the rumor that wouldn’t go away: Ketel Marte, the superstar centerpiece of the Arizona Diamondbacks, as a trade target for Detroit.