The Detroit Tigers are having one of the best seasons in franchise history. They are in a tight race for the top seed in the American League, and hope to clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs in the coming weeks.
However, once the 2025 season concludes, Detroit’s front office will have some decisions to make regarding one of its top sluggers and all-stars from this season. The prediction mill is swirling as this time of year, and one prediction shows the Tigers moving on from Gleyber Torres, and an NL West contender swooping in to sign him.
Gleyber Torres is predicted to be in the Padres’ 2026 Opening Day lineup
The Detroit Tigers signed Gleyber Torres on a one-year, $15 million deal this offseason after his fallout with the New York Yankees. Torres has been everything the Tigers could have asked for and more, but he is set to be a free agent following the season.
The 28-year-old second baseman has 15 home runs, a 111 OPS+, and 73 runs scored in 128 games with Detroit this season. The high level of production is certainly going to catch the eye of other aggressive MLB organizations, including the San Diego Padres.
In a recent Bleacher Report that predicts every team’s 2026 Opening Day lineup, the San Diego Padres’ lineup features Gleyber Torres in the fifth spot in the order:
“The Padres plugged two holes for the stretch run and into 2026 when they acquired catcher Freddy Fermin (via KC) and outfielder Ramón Laureano (via BAL) at the deadline, but they will need to replace first baseman Ryan O’Hearn who is a free agent. The versatility of Jake Cronenworth means they can also target a second baseman, and Gleyber Torres would slot nicely into the middle of their lineup.”
Signing Torres would make a lot of sense for San Diego, which has had trouble finding any power input from its middle-of-the-infield hitters. Gleyber would address that issue rather quickly, and he also provides gold glove caliber defense.
