DEREK, WHO?

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OK, let's not go that far. But you have to admit that Didi Gregorius has made it easier to move on, hasn't he? He has come into the Bronx and made the spot the captain once roamed his own. This season alone, he's really been impressive!

He's provided moments of excitement with hits and big plays. Hell, just last week he accomplished something even Derek never did when he drove in 8 runs in the home opener. Since 2014, Didi Gregorius has been the Yankee shortstop and personally, I believe that is where he should stay. In this piece from 12up on MSN, he opens up on his long future with the team.

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"Didi Gregorius is one of the best and most well-liked players on the Yankees, but his future with the team remains unclear for the time being. Gregorius is a free agent following the 2019 season, and the Yankees are likely to make a run at Manny Machado during free agency in 2018 (whether they could or not), and he'll want to play shortstop with the team he ends up signing with."

Photo: Getty Images

Look, I get it many of you want to see Manny Machado sporting the pinstripes next year. Hell, maybe even as soon as the trade deadline, right? Manny's a great player and would look good in a Yankee uniform yet, do they really need to payout what it would take to sign him? That would put the Yanks right back to where they were with another recently departed superstar. It would be great at the start, yet the honeymoon would start to fade and we would be stuck with another albatross of a contract. I know a lot of fans will start ranting and raving if Cashman does not go out and get a deal done with Manny. Yet, I feel those fans are the ones that wouldn't be happy if Cashman didn't sign Kershaw, Trout, and Harper too.

Photo: Getty Images

Like BYB writer Mike O'Hara recently stated in YANKEE FANS VS. YANKEE BRATS... many Yankee fans ARE brats. They'll never be happy and will always pick something to whine and cry about unless the Yankees are the first team to go 162-0 with clean sweeps in the playoffs.

The moral of the story? This is not fantasy baseball and the Yankees have a shortstop with great prospects waiting in the wings. Keep Didi, appreciate Didi and all he's done and sign Didi and go after positions of need instead. Leave Didi alone. He's doing great!

--Michael Carnesi
BYB Junior Writer
Twitter: @sevn4evr