Gregorius is on the market
The door for Didi Gregorius to return to the Yankees isn’t shut, but the free-agent shortstop was able to start searching for a new club as of midnight Monday.
That’s because the Yankees didn’t make the qualifying offer of $17.8 million to Gregorius before Monday’s 5 p.m. deadline. Gregorius made $11.7 million this past season.
So, Gregorius who turns 30 in February, is in play for any team that desires an elite shortstop who missed the first nine weeks of the 2019 season due to offseason Tommy John surgery.
Had the Yankees made the qualifying offer to Gregorius there were two paths to take. If he accepted, Gregorius would have been a signed player for one year. Had he rejected it, he would have been a free agent with draft compensation from the team that signed him attached.
Now, Gregorius can join any team and the Yankees won’t get compensated. Of course, Gregorius and the Yankees also can work out a deal that keeps him in The Bronx, where he is a fan favorite and very popular in a clubhouse that lost leader CC Sabathia to retirement and could possibly be without Dellin Betances if he leaves via free agency.
Should Gregorius find an offer he desires and leaves, the Yankees could shift Gleyber Torres, a two-time All-Star second baseman to short and play DJ LeMahieu at second where he started 66 games last year. LeMahieu started 47 at third and 28 at first.
While several talent evaluators believe Torres is better at second than short due to smoother footwork at second, one pointed out lack of range at short isn’t the shortcoming it used to be.
“I think he can play short. Yes, there is a concern about his range going forward, but in today’s game there are three infielders on the same side of the infield a lot,’’ a scout said.
Torres, who has hit .275 with 62 homers and 167 RBIs in two big-league seasons (267 games), would provide offense at short. But until suffering the injury that required Tommy John surgery in the 2018 postseason, Gregorius hit 27 homers, drove in 86 runs and posted an .829 OPS. The homers and OPS were career highs and the 86 RBIs were one shy of his career high in 2017. And while he hasn’t won a Gold Glove or been an All-Star, Gregorius was always among the elite shortstops because of smooth glove work and a strong and accurate arm.
Starting in 2015, Derek Jeter’s replacement hit .269 with 97 homers, 360 RBIs and a .759 OPS in 660 games.
Should the Yankees move the right-handed hitting Torres to short, their projected Opening Day lineup would have one lefthanded hitter — Brett Gardner who is a free agent and not likely to leave — in it. Of course the Yankees could make a trade or sign a free-agent infielder capable of playing short who hits lefthanded.
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