The San Francisco Giants are building something sturdy on the infield – and they’re just one piece away from locking it all in.
At third base, they’ve got Matt Chapman, a defensive wizard with pop, locked in for the long haul. Shortstop?
That’s Willy Adames’ territory, and he’s not going anywhere. First base is a bit more fluid, but the Giants like their options.
Between superstar Rafael Devers and rising prospect Bryce Eldridge, they’ve got the potential for serious firepower – whether that’s at first or in the designated hitter slot.
But second base? That’s been a revolving door – and not the kind that leads to October baseball.
In 2025 alone, the Giants cycled through four different players at the keystone: Tyler Fitzgerald (69 games), Casey Schmitt (53), Christian Koss (47), and Brett Wisely (16). The results were, frankly, underwhelming.
Koss was the only one to hit above .250, and Schmitt was the only one to crack double digits in home runs. The position lacked consistency, pop, and defensive reliability – three things you can’t afford to be missing in the heart of your infield.
Enter Gleyber Torres.
The two-time All-Star (now three-time, after 2025) is hitting free agency again after a bounce-back year in Detroit – and he might just be the right fit in San Francisco. After the Yankees moved on from him following the 2024 season – opting instead for Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second – Torres took a gamble. Rather than chase a multi-year deal in a down market, he signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the Tigers to reset his value.
That bet paid off.
Torres slashed .256/.358/.387 with 16 home runs and 74 RBI in 2025, earning his third All-Star nod and posting a 2.9 bWAR – matching his totals from both 2022 and 2019. And here’s the kicker: he did most of that while playing through a sports hernia, which required surgery after the season. He’s expected to be fully healthy by spring training.
Offensively, Torres brings exactly what the Giants need. His career 162-game averages – .264/.337/.433 with 24 home runs and 81 RBI – would slot in nicely behind the Giants’ big bats.
He’s not a leadoff guy by trade, though the Tigers used him in that role. In San Francisco, he could slide into a table-setting spot in the lineup, getting on base in front of Chapman, Adames, and Devers – all of whom have the ability to drive him in.
Defensively, Torres has been a bit of a mixed bag. The metrics aren’t glowing – he ranked in the 12th percentile in Outs Above Average and just the 9th percentile in arm strength, according to Baseball Savant.
But there’s real improvement worth noting. After leading the majors in errors at second base in both 2023 (15) and 2024 (18), he cut that number down to just five in 134 games this past season.
That’s not just a small step – that’s a leap in the right direction.
Financially, this isn’t a move that would break the bank. Projections have Torres landing a four-year deal worth around $52 million – a manageable figure for a team looking to shore up a weak spot without sacrificing long-term flexibility. And with Tyler Fitzgerald still in the mix as a versatile utility option, the Giants could deepen their infield without crowding it.
Bottom line: Torres checks a lot of boxes. Veteran presence.
Proven bat. Positional fit.
And maybe most importantly – he’s got something to prove. For a Giants team trying to turn a patchwork infield into a championship-caliber core, this is a move worth exploring.
