Gleyber Torres releases an elegant statement thanking the Yankees after signing with the Tigers

After seven seasons with the New York Yankees, free agent second baseman Gleyber Torres agreed to a one-year, $15 million contract with the Detroit Tigers on Friday. After it was announced that the deal was going through, Torres used his account on X (formerly Twitter) to thank the Yankees organization, fans and his teammates.

“Wow, where should I start or how should I start,” Torres wrote. “Thank you. The Yankees have been my family since 2016. “As a simple boy from Venezuela with big ambitions to play in the most epic city in the world, the Yankees gave me all the love and support I needed to achieve my childhood dream.”

“Wearing pinstripes was an honor for me and my family.”

Here is Torres’ full statement.

New York acquired Torres in July 2016 in a promising trade for then-backup Aroldis Chapman. Considered one of the top five prospects in all of baseball in 2017, Torres posted an .820 OPS with 3.6 WAR as a 21-year-old rookie in 123 games for a Yankees playoff team in 1818.

Torres followed his outstanding rookie season with an even better sophomore season in which he hit 38 home runs and started most of his games at shortstop for the first time in pinstripes. Although he never matched the production numbers of his ’19 season, Torres continued to contribute consistently over the next five seasons in the Bronx.

In seven seasons with New York, Torres posted a .265/.334/.441 slashline with 138 home runs, 441 RBI, 460 runs scored and 53 stolen bases in 888 games with New York.

Torres joins an up-and-coming Tigers team that made the postseason for the first time since 2014.