The Detroit Tigers head into the upcoming season with a couple of acquisitions on one-year deals who they hope will make a huge difference.

Alex Cobb was the first major domino to fall for the Tigers in free agency, and the goal is for the 13-year veteran to be a major piece of the starting rotation. But in signing Cobb, reactions from Detroit fans were mostly not great with age and durability concerns at the forefront of their minds.

The Tigers would go on to make a move that was fairly well received when they signed New York Yankees two-time All-Star second baseman Gleyber Torres on a one-year deal worth $15 million.

Torres struggled by his standards in 2024, but he’s still just 28 years old and brings some serious right-handed power to the lineup along with plate discipline. Being an experienced veteran who can help to lead a young team is also a plus.

The slugger is betting on himself by signing a short-term deal with the hope he can cash in if he has a great year for Detroit.

One way or another, the contract he signs likely ends with him leaving the Tigers after just one season.

In a recent article naming Detroit players he expects gone within the calendar year of 2025, Jovan Alford of FanSided named Torres as one of them.

“If things work out with Torres, Detroit should try to re-sign him to a multi-year deal. But in case the Tigers’ season goes south, Detroit has a good trade chip to utilize.”

There’s a big difference between “should” and “will”, so while yes Detroit “should” try to sign Torres to a long-term deal if he produces at the level they hope he can, it certainly does not mean they will.

This can go a few different ways for the slugger and the Tigers.

In one scenario, he has an outstanding season reminiscent of the first two years of his career. With Torres still two seasons away from 30 and not turning 29 until next winter, he would still be well within the range to receive a massive long-term deal from someone, and if it creeps close to the nine-figure range, don’t count on it being Detroit.

Alford also points out an interesting possibility in that if the season looks reminiscent for the team as it did in the first half of last year when they became deadline sellers, there’s a good chance Torres would be a desired trade piece for a contending team, a move the Tigers would gladly make if they aren’t in contention.

It will be interesting to see how things play out, but most signs are pointing to Torres being a one-and-done player in Detroit.

MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man is charged in a pair of armed robberies – one from a restaurant, the other from a cellphone store – that happened at the end of December.

Prosecutors said 29-year-old Lamont Stallings denied robbing the restaurant, and claimed an unspecified co-actor “forced him” into the cellphone store robbery.

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Restaurant robbery | Dec. 27

Wauwatosa police were called for an armed robbery at a restaurant near 67th and North. According to a criminal complaint, an employee said a masked suspect handed over a note that said something to the effect of: “Don’t scream. Give me all the money or I’m gonna shoot.” The employee handed over all the cash in the register, and the suspect ran off.

The robbery was captured on surveillance. Court filings said it showed a red car pull up and seemingly park just out of view of the camera. Shortly after, the suspect walked into the frame from where the car would’ve parked, and ran back to the area where the car would’ve parked just after the robbery.

Suspect, later identified as Lamont Stallings, in restaurant robbery (Courtesy: MCDAO)

Cellphone store robbery | Dec. 30

Milwaukee police were called for an armed robbery at a T-Mobile store near 103rd and Silver Spring on the city’s northwest side. The complaint said a suspect handed over a note that read: “Don’t scream, I am armed, make it quick, give me 20 iPhones.” The suspect then showed a pistol.

According to court filings, an employee handed over “numerous” iPhones, each worth approximately $500, and the suspect loaded them into a duffle bag before he made the employee walk him out of the store. 

The robbery was also captured on surveillance, and a nearby doorbell camera video showed the suspect – with the duffle bag in tow – walking toward a red car. 

Court filings said one of the cellphones had a GPS tracking device. Officers used that GPS information to look for the suspect, leading them to the area of 76th and Brown Deer. There, officers saw a man matching the suspect’s description walk to a red car and place a duffle bag in the trunk.

The suspect drove off, per the complaint, and minutes later officers were notified that the phone’s GPS location was on the move. Officers continued to get updates on the device’s location and found the same car parked more than nine miles away near 27th and Burleigh. Officers saw the same suspect they saw near 76th and Brown Deer and took him into custody.

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In custody

Prosecutors said the suspect initially refused to identify himself, but a traffic citation issued to Stallings was found in the car. A previous booking photo further identified the man in custody as Stallings.

A search of the car located a pistol, the complaint states, as well as clothing that matched that worn by the suspect in the T-Mobile robbery. When he was arrested, investigators said Stallings was also wearing pants and shoes that were “an identical match” to the suspect in the restaurant robbery.

Suspect vehicle tied to robbery (Courtesy: MCDAO)

In the trunk of the car, the complaint states police found numerous cellphones that were confirmed as having been stolen from the T-Mobile near 103rd and Silver Spring.

Stallings denied involvement in the restaurant, per the complaint. In regard to the T-Mobile robbery, court filings said he told investigators a “co-actor forced him to do it with him, and force [sic] him to ride in the maroon Pontiac, change clothing with this unknown suspect before the robbery, and then change clothing back after the robbery.”

In all, Stallings is charged with two counts of armed robbery, one count of possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent and three counts of felony bail jumping. Stallings appeared in court on Jan. 4, and his bond was set at $50,000.

Ohio State Buckeyes (9-5, 1-2 Big Ten) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-6, 0-3 Big Ten)

Minneapolis; Monday, 9 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Minnesota hosts Ohio State after Dawson Garcia scored 20 points in Minnesota’s 81-61 loss to the Purdue Boilermakers.

The Golden Gophers are 8-3 on their home court. Minnesota has a 2-2 record in one-possession games.

The Buckeyes are 1-2 in conference matchups. Ohio State is seventh in the Big Ten scoring 81.3 points per game and is shooting 49.5%.

Minnesota scores 67.4 points per game, 2.4 fewer points than the 69.8 Ohio State gives up. Ohio State has shot at a 49.5% clip from the field this season, 6.9 percentage points higher than the 42.6% shooting opponents of Minnesota have averaged.

The Golden Gophers and Buckeyes meet Monday for the first time in conference play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Lu’Cye Patterson is averaging 10 points and 3.9 assists for the Golden Gophers.

Bruce Thornton is averaging 16.9 points and 4.6 assists for the Buckeyes.

LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Gophers: 5-5, averaging 68.6 points, 30.8 rebounds, 16.4 assists, 5.7 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.0 points per game.

Buckeyes: 6-4, averaging 83.3 points, 30.0 rebounds, 14.2 assists, 7.5 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 50.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.0 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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