An uncertain fate looms for two veterans after the final game of the Detroit Tigers' 2026 season.
Second baseman Gleyber Torres and right-handed starting pitcher Jack Flaherty are two of the three Tigers players set to become unrestricted free agents at the end of the 2026 season. The third, starting pitcher Justin Verlander, is set to retire.
Torres and Flaherty both joined the Tigers going into the 2025 season. They were key parts of Detroit's run to a second consecutive playoff appearance in 2025, but struggled to stay healthy in 2026, mirroring teamwide struggles all summer. On top of their health battles in their final years under contract, Torres and Flaherty are set to become free agents at a peculiar time, with a potential lockout on the horizon
once the current collective bargaining agreement ends on Dec. 1.
Torres returned to the Tigers after accepting Detroit's qualifying offer in the offseason. After recovering from an offseason hernia surgery, Torres slotted back in as the Tigers' primary second baseman. But Torres landed on the injured list twice in 2026 with an oblique strain, limiting him to 96 games. Torres hit .260 with eight home runs and 38 RBIs.
"I didn't do much, with the injury all year," Torres said before the Tigers' 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the season finale on Sunday, Sept. 27. "And the time I did play, I don't think I performed like I want to be. But, it is what it is. Injuries suck, but they are a part of the game."
Torres played sparingly down the stretch as the Tigers gave more opportunities to the plethora of rookies on the roster once the postseason hopes ended. He and manager A.J. Hinch had a "really good conversation" about his end-of-season plan, and he had no issue stepping out of the spotlight late. With the injury, Torres said he knows he needs to prove himself more in 2027, whether that is in Detroit or elsewhere.
"I've got an offseason to fix a couple of things and come back stronger than ever," Torres said.
Torres, 29, described the Tigers organization as a "special group" that he was happy to be a part of for the last two seasons.
"It was great," Torres said. "I like the group, our organization. I enjoy it the most with all my teammates. It is a special group. Special people. I am glad that they are here. I always want to be grateful for the opportunity to be here. I don't know next year if I am coming back or not."
Flaherty echoed a similar sentiment. The 30-year-old right-handed starter has spent three seasons with the Tigers, first joining as a free agent entering the 2024 season. The Tigers traded Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2024 trade deadline, but he returned on a two-year deal as a free agent.
Flaherty had an up-and-down walk year, finishing with a 3-8 record in 20 appearances with a 4.48 ERA across 88⅓ innings.
"It is the first time in a long time ending the season before the playoffs start and knowing beforehand, like even knowing last week," Flaherty said. "So, it sucks. It sucks to really kind of be one of the reasons we are in that spot in terms of getting hurt and having some up-and-down issues. Especially at the beginning of the season when things were really needed and we were scuffling.
"The goal at the end is to win. To be going home right now is unusual and frustrating."
Flaherty battled to return in the series finale against Pittsburgh. He missed two months with right flexor tendon inflammation, but wanted to showcase that he is healthy in one final appearance before hitting the open market. The Tigers were happy to oblige after his contributions over the last three seasons.
"Jack is healthy and ready to go into a productive offseason," Hinch said. "He earned that opportunity to where there should be no unknown about him as he hits free agency. He's given us a lot, so the least we could do is give him a couple innings to demonstrate his health."
Flaherty added: "Taking everything one day at a time. Control what you can. Which, for me, is going out and getting ready for next year. Wherever that may be and whenever that may be."
Outside of Flaherty and Torres, the Tigers do not have any other pending free agents. A trio of relievers – Kenley Jansen, Drew Anderson and Tyler Kinley – have team options, but the rest of Detroit's players are under contract for at least 2027.
Despite a frustrating six-month season that ended with a 76-86 record and featured two blockbuster trades at the July deadline, plenty of building blocks remain for the Tigers moving forward. And it starts with the large class of rookie contributors in 2026, headlined by shortstop Kevin McGonigle.
"We got a lot of experience for our young guys," Hinch said. "We learned a lot. Learned a lot about ourselves. We have a lot of work to do."
ContactJared Ramsey at jramsey@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers' Gleyber Torres, Jack Flaherty face free agency uncertainty
