Angels fans breathe sigh of relief after Yankees free agent signs with the Tigers

The Angels are on the lookout for infield help, and have casted a wide net while searching for reinforcements on the dirt. MLB Network's Jon Morosi had previously tied the Angels to Gleyber Torres, but the former Yankees second baseman is now heading to the Detroit Tigers on a one-year deal for $15 million. Torres will be Detroit's every-day second baseman, pairing up with either Javier Báez or Trey Sweeney to cover ground up-the-middle.

Morosi reported that both the Angels and Blue Jays were interested in Torres. Well the Blue Jays turned around and traded for Andrés Gimenez, which left just the Angels as possible suitors at the time... causing some commotion amongst Angels fans.

Torres is simply not a popular baseball player. He struggled mightily defensively last season (mostly in the first half of the season). He's both slow and a horrible baserunner (like virtually every member of the Yankees). He has a squirt gun arm. He regressed into a singles-hitter despite a solid history of hitting for power. Like Pete Alonso, he regrettably did not perform well in a contract year. He hit very well in the ALCS against Cleveland, but left Yankees' fans with a bad taste in their mouth by floundering in the World Series. Perry Minasian values a player's makeup over talent, and Torres genuinely seems high-maintenance and hard-headed. Torres refused a move to third base despite terrible metrics at second. The Angels easily could have out-bid the Tigers for Torres if they felt like it, but Minasian clearly did not value Torres that much despite the one-year deal.

Angels fans preferred a multitude of other 2B options over signing Torres. Even on a one-year deal, fans were good on adding Gleyber. Fans still irrationally love Luis Rengifo, despite some concerning peripherals. They want to see Hye-Seong Kim. They want to see Ha-Seong Kim. They desperately want to see Christian Moore. Moore was drafted higher in the 2024 MLB Draft (8th) than Zach Neto was in the 2022 MLB Draft (13th), and Neto is the crowned jewel of the organization. Had Moore not gotten injured last season, he easily could have made his MLB debut. The concept of Neto returning from injury parlayed with a Moore promotion would be sweet. That double play duo should be a staple of Angels games for years to come (knock on wood).

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