As we wrote about yesterday, the Washington Nationals were turned down after they extended an offer to free agent infielder Gleyber Torres. However, could the team he declined the Nationals for, the Detroit Tigers, potentially have a trade chip that the Nationals could target? Let's take a look.
In case you are unfamiliar with the ramifications of the Gleyber Torres signing for the Tigers, their President of Baseball Operations, Scott Harris, already came out and said that Torres is going to be their starter at second base, which shouldn't come as a surprise given that he turned down the Nationals due to their desire to have him be their third baseman.
As for the domino effect that this signing has on their infield, 2024's second baseman, Colt Keith, is going to shift over to first base following a solid rookie season that saw him play almost exclusively at second base. He has reportedly been getting a lot of work in at first base this offseason, so he should be fine to take over the position going into 2025.
But the Tigers' first baseman for a lot of 2024 and the two seasons before, Spencer Torkelson, could possibly be left without a spot heading into next season. It has been quite the fall from grace for Torkelson, who was the 1st overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft out of Arizona State University, and ended up being demoted to AAA Toledo for a lot of last year following a season in 2023 in which it seemed like he was making a ton of forward progress in his development.
In that 2023 season, he clubbed 31 homers and 94 RBIs for the Tigers, but did strike out 171 times compared to just 67 walks, and had a decent .233/.313/.446 slash line for a .758 OPS. While the power certainly popped off the charts, he was pretty abysmal as a rookie, barely hitting above the Mendoza Line in 110 games and accounting for -1.3 WAR. Basically, in 3 seasons he has been pretty dreadful for 2 of them, with one outlier season that saw him rank as an average player overall.
However, he is already being looked at as a prime candidate to be a beneficiary from a change-of-scenery. Perhaps all he needs is a new organization where he can be free from the pressure of having to live up to his lofty draft status and really reset his approach to the game. Us Nationals fans know about this well, as we watched Victor Robles go from an unplayable asset due to his consistent mental errors, and saw him go to the Seattle Mariners and immediately flourish, leading to a nice new extention for the former top prospect.
In my opinion, this is a guy that I would be ALL over for a club like the Nationals. He won't be a free agent until 2029, might not even have a spot as a starter for a Tigers club that is clearly in a win-now mindset after their ALCS run this year, and it's not like the guy hasn't proven he can be at least successful in some capacity. After all, he had a 60 grade hit tool and 70 grade power tool in his draft year, and shot through the minors quickly for good reason. You don't just luck into hitting 30 homers in a season, and the power he has is very legitimate, it's just a matter of helping him be more consistent, and perhaps new voices in his ear can help him unlock that potential that once made him the #1 overall pick.
This is a gamble that the Nationals can easily afford to take, as if they can help him tap into his high potential, it could pay massive dividends for the club in the long run. He can easily slot into this lineup as the club's everyday Designated Hitter, and perhaps even serve as a platoon bat and draw some starts at first base as well. Tigers fans seem ready to move on from Torkelson, and it seems like it should be within the Nationals' best interests to at least reach out and see what it would take to pry him away from the only organization he has ever known.
Do you think the Nationals should make a trade for Spencer Torkelson? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.