Scott Harris reveals Detroit Tigers infield plans after signing Gleyber Torres

The Detroit Tigers made a big move Friday morning when they signed New York Yankees infielder Gleyber Torres to a one-year deal worth $15 million.

Although Torres has some offensive potential despite a few recent poor years and is still only 28 years old, the obvious question that arose once the news broke was where he would play in the infield. Torres has spent the majority of his MLB career at second base, and although he has played some shortstop, he has been almost exclusively a second baseman in recent seasons. The idea that he would fill the gaping need at third base made sense, except that he seemed adamantly opposed to it, reportedly even turning down a deal with the Washington Nationals for that reason.

With Colt Keith having a very solid and promising rookie season at second base, someone needed to fill a position he wasn’t used to. President of Baseball Operations Scott Harris ended all mystery Friday afternoon when he announced the team’s plans following the signing of Torres on the right side of the infield.

Harris announced that Torres will be the team’s everyday first baseman and Keith will move from second base to first base, potentially solving the lineup black hole problem created by Spencer Torkelson from first base last season Keeping Keith in the lineup and getting one of the better second basemen in baseball at his natural position.

Torkelson will still have a chance to earn a spot on the team with a strong performance in camp and spring training, but from the sounds of it, the Tigers have no plans to enter the season relying on the former No. 1 pick leaving the overall selection no longer plays an everyday role.

If Keith can make the transition to the first step smoothly, this is probably the best scenario for everyone involved. While he was by no means a liability at the second position, Keith was far from an elite defender at the position and is still so early in his career that a move to the first position may not be a major undertaking for Torres if he does would change positions after seven seasons in the major leagues in second place.

Without a doubt, Detroit improved their entire infield today. The question of how much remains to be seen as the parties shift, but it certainly seems like Harris likes what the Tigers have on the right side of the infield as he plans his next move to continue to get better.