WHAT ARE THE YANKEES WILLING TO SPEND ON DIDI GREGORIUS?

Interesting tidbit today that caught my eye about Didi Gregorius. We love Didi, and the Yankees love Didi too. The Yankees were considering an extension at the beginning of the season but it's rumored they never got close to getting it done. Now they may be thinking ahead to free agency instead.

Take it with a grain of salt, but rumor has it the Yankees are considering what their "max out" would be to spend on Didi in free agency now. Again, just a rumor but an interesting one. If you like to listen to podcasts, check out Jon Heyman's very interesting take on this HERE. It definitely caught my attention.

"They may draw the line at that Bogaerts deal. From what I’m understanding, they thought that Bogaerts, at six years for $120 million, is a (comparison) for Didi. I think if push comes to shove, if they’re asked, they might feel that Didi isn’t quite as accomplished as Bogaerts and they would like to keep it a little bit below that if they could. But they may get to that point where they’re close or right there. They definitely don’t want to go over. If they go over, it will be an absolute victory for the agent. You never know with free agency and seeing how things would go. They certainly would give him the qualifying offer, which has impacted some people. Not sure if it would impact Didi. He’s a fantastic player. But I think that’s the line in the sand that they would draw, would be Bogaerts."

So is the Yankees limit really six years at $120 million? Didi is going to be 30 years old while Xander Bogaerts was 26 when he signed his deal. That is a big difference especially for a shortstop so this is why I am skeptical.

Lets continue to speculate, let's say Didi does reject the qualifying offer the Yankees will undoubtedly make him....is Didi really worth the same six years and $120 million? I think the years are going to be a big issue for the Yankees, not just the money. The Yankees have the ability to spend the money if they want to, but the years may not make sense here.

As much as I like Didi, I think his injury robbed a good amount of his potential earnings and he's not getting any younger. He's been worth every penny as Derek Jeter's replacement, but a 36 year old shortstop at an average of $20 million a season is a stretch especially when they know they already have other options.

The Yankees will likely consider that they still have Gleyber Torres who can play shortstop and he's only 22. If the Yankees are going to consider a $20 million mark, they could also look to throw that at DJ LeMahieu especially after the productive season he's had but without the long-term commitment. The Yankees could make a combination of LeMahieu and Torres work and save some money if they can't negotiate a deal to their liking.

But how can you discount Didi? He's become a fan favorite and let's face it his left handed bat and over 20 home runs a season are a valuable bat to have. The Yankees have one of the better shortstops in the game, and they know this. That's why I really think the Yankees will pay to get him back, I just don't know about matching Bogaert's price is realistic, or even smart from a business standpoint. There is a deal to be made here somewhere.

I love to speculate about baseball. Again, this is a stretch and Heyman only made a statement. There's no other source to it, it's just baseball gossip. The Yankees know where they want to go, it's just not time to talk about it yet. We have business to handle on the field first....but Didi will get figured out

in due time. The next few months will be interesting for sure.

How many years and how much money would you be willing to give Didi to keep him? Comment and tell us.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj