Prior to the Andres Gimenez trade the Blue Jays pursued Gleyber Torres
The Toronto Blue Jays showed strong interest in second baseman Gleybor Torres prior to the trade for Andres Gimenez from the Cleveland Guardians, per a report from Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.
Petzold goes on to report that Cleveland Guardians Giants and Reds, were among the teams to show interest in Torres before he signed with the Tigers.
As for the other reported suitors for Torres's services, the Guards likely only became a fit for Torres after trading Andres Giménez to Toronto.
With the Gaurdians moving on from Giménez and his hefty $106.5MM contract likely helped free up payroll that would make signing a player of Torres's caliber possible even for the low-budget Guardians.
With Torres now off the market and headed to a division rival, it's entirely feasible that the Guardians could now pivot to another second base option available in free agency like Jorge Polanco or Whit Merrifield.
The Blue Jays would've made plenty of sense as a speculative fit for Torres early in the winter, but this is the first time the sides have been connected.
After losing Matt Chapman in free agency last winter and dealing away both Justin Turner and Isaiah Kiner-Falefa over the summer, the Jays entered the winter in need of infield help, and they definitely got that in a three-time gold glover in Gimenez.
Torres did not want a multi- year deal, according to Tigers president of baseball operations. Torres wanted a 1 year deal betting on himself in the hopes of having a big year, setting himself up for a big pay day in 2026.
He had a lot of opportunity to go to different places this winter on longer deals than the one he took," Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said, "but his agents were very upfront with me about his desire to bet on himself, and honestly, that made me want him more."
The Tigers signed Torres to a 1 year $15 million dollar contract in the hopes of a career year.
Ross Atkins definitely made the right move in acquiring Gimenez in a trade over Torres on a 1 year pact.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 29 | 201 ANSWERS Prior to the Andres Gimenez trade the Blue Jays pursued Gleyber Torres Do you think that the Blue Jays mage the right decision trading for Andres Gimenez over a 1 year free agent deal for Gleybor Torres? | ||
| Yes | 152 | 75.6 % |
| No | 49 | 24.4 % |
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