The city of Maracay, Venezuela, has a special place in Tigers lore. It’s where Miguel Cabrera was born and raised, and his 16 seasons in Detroit helped forge a connection between the two. But it also was the home of several other former Tigers, including former All-Star Carlos Guillén, right-hander Aníbal Sánchez and former Tigers prospects Angel Nesbitt and Yorman Bazardo.
In that sense, maybe it was destiny that Gleyber Torres would end up joining the Tigers when the former Yankees All-Star second baseman hit free agency looking for the right place to have a bounceback season. Torres was born in Caracas but moved to Maracay at age 14 to enroll in a baseball academy and improve his chances at a lucrative pro contract.
The Tigers haven’t had a prominent Venezuelan player since Cabrera’s retirement. With Torres’ arrival on a one-year, $15 million contract, the connection is restored.
“I feel happy to get this opportunity to play in this great organization,” Torres said on an introductory Zoom call with reporters shortly after the signing. “I've been talking with Miggy, and I'm real excited to get to my team, just ready to go.”
The connection between Torres and Cabrera was natural, and they struck up a friendship from Torres’ arrival in the big leagues in 2018. Torres was among the top prospects in baseball at the time, a slick-hitting shortstop whose power eventually surpassed everyone’s lofty expectations.
The Yankees had acquired him from the Cubs for Aroldis Chapman in 2016, then plugged him into their middle infield a year later. The Tigers coveted him under then-general manager Al Avila, enough to ask for him in trade discussions for former Rookie of the Year pitcher Michael Fulmer, which never came to fruition.
Avila wasn’t the only one trying to get Torres to Detroit.
“Since 2018 when I came to the big leagues, I've had a really good relationship with [Cabrera],” said Torres. “When we played against them during the season, he always played around with me and told me to come to Detroit: 'You're going to see a really good team.' And then he always just laughed.”
The Tigers never got the prospect, but they’re getting the potential bounceback story. And when Torres was ready to make the commitment to the Tigers, Cabrera -- now a Tigers special assistant -- reached out.
“He called me and gave me really good [info] on the team and the city,” Torres said. “I feel really happy. I [also] have a really good relationship with [former Tiger and fellow Venezuelan] Victor Martinez, and he told me really good things about Detroit.”
It might not be a long stay for Torres in Detroit, but the Tigers are banking on it becoming a productive one. He hit free agency coming off his worst season by many metrics since 2021, including a 101 OPS+ that essentially put him barely above league average for offensive production.
The Tigers saw an opportunity for the kind of bounceback season they’ve enjoyed on the pitching side in recent years with Jack Flaherty and Michael Lorenzen. Torres saw a place where he could work with coaches, including infield coach Joey Cora, on recalibrating his value.
“I [was] just looking for a one-year deal because I really believe in myself,” Torres said. “I always bet on myself. I just tried to find the right place to play one year, and I had a few opportunities with other teams, but I'm just looking for a young team, especially Detroit.
"The group looks really tight, really looks like family. How they played the second half of the season was really impressive. How they played in the playoffs for the first time in many years, it really motivated me to get the opportunity to play here. I'm just really excited.”
If he can get back to his All-Star level, Detroit -- and Maracay -- will be, too.