FOLLOW THE JETER

Yankees continue search for Derek’s long-term replacement

From 1996 through 2014, only one man started more than a combined 121 games at shortstop for the Yankees.

In seven seasons since, two shortstops have already surpassed that number, with a few more also-rans trying their hand along the way.

As Derek Jeter prepares to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame next week, the Yankees’ search for his long-term successor at shortstop remains ongoing. Didi Gregorius came first and performed better than expected before leaving in free agency. Gleyber Torres then slid from second base to shortstop, but his defense has often lagged behind, calling into question whether he stays there.

In between, the Yankees hosted Manny Machado on a free-agent visit, tried Troy Tulowitzki as a stopgap at the end of his career, were linked to Trevor Story before July’s trade deadline and now could be back in the market for a shortstop this offseason with a talented group set to hit free agency.

Of course, Jeter’s longevity and consistency with one team was something of an anomaly. Over the seven seasons since he retired, only two teams have had the same one player start the majority of its games at shortstop every season: the Red Sox’s Xander Bogaerts and the Giants’ Brandon Crawford. Others have come close, like Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (who played less than half of 2019 because of an injury) and the Rockies’ Story and Braves’ Dansby Swanson (both of whom did not get called up until 2016, but have locked the position down since).

Story and Correa are part of the All-Star laden free-agent class the Yankees could tap into this offseason, along with the Dodgers’ Corey Seager, Mets’ Javier Baez and Toronto’s Marcus Semien. Given Correa’s presence on the Astros during their illegal sign-stealing scheme and Baez’s free-swinging approach, Story, Seager or Semien would appear to be the logical candidates should the Yankees choose to move Torres back to his natural second base entering 2022. Seager, the youngest of the trio who has already won a World Series MVP and also happens to bat left-handed (which the Yankees need more of), figures to be the most appealing long-term pick if he gets out of Los Angeles.

Gregorius got the first shot at replacing Jeter, an unenviable task that he handled well. The Yankees traded for Gregorius from the Diamondbacks in December of 2014 as part of a threeway deal in which they only gave up pitcher Shane Greene.

“No one can replace Derek Jeter,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said after making the trade. “He was one in a billion. [Gregorius] is not replacing Derek. He’s just now going to come in here and obviously compete to hold down that position at shortstop, and assist us with Brendan Ryan, and provide some excellent defense and offense to the back of that lineup.”

Gregorius proved to do more than just that. After hitting just .243 with an 88 OPS-plus in his first two-plus seasons as a big leaguer, Gregorius arrived in The Bronx and hit .274 with a 104 OPS-plus in his first four seasons here before cooling off in 2019. He missed the beginning of that season, his last one with the Yankees, after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Gregorius’ elbow issue opened the door for the Yankees to sign the 34-year-old Tulowitzki, who grew up idolizing Jeter, as a fill-in to begin 2019. But he started just four games at shortstop before hitting the injured list with a calf strain, which he re-injured while trying to come back and then announced his retirement that July.

In the meantime, the Yankees had shifted Torres to shortstop after Tulowitzki’s injury and before Gregorius returned. He became a second-time All-Star, thanks in large part to his bat, as he finished the year hitting .278 with 38 home runs and a 127 OPSplus while recording minus-three defensive runs saved at shortstop, per Fangraphs.

Gregorius left for the Phillies in free agency that offseason and the Yankees made Torres their fulltime shortstop. But in two seasons since, Torres’ production has fallen off with his bat and glove. In 141 games between 2020 and 2021, Torres has hit .251 with nine home runs and a 92 OPS-plus. His defense in that span (-17 defensive runs saved) has led to questions about whether the Yankees would be better off moving him back to second base — especially if they can land one of the star free-agent shortstops this offseason.

If not, there’s another shortstop in the Yankees’ system who might not arrive in The Bronx until at least 2023 but grew up admiring Jeter. The fellow first-round pick (2019) and New Jersey product, Anthony Volpe, is in the midst of a breakout season split between Low-A and High-A and could vie to be the answer down the road — the latest in a string of them for the Yankees.