DIDI GREGORIUS ON YANKEES RADAR FOR MORE THAN ONE REASON

Last winter, Didi Gregorius gambled and took a one year deal so he could re-establish his value. He had a good season, and any other year he would be entering free agency with a potential for a big payday. But this is 2020, and the pandemic has changed everything. 

There are three shortstops available this winter that will be attractive to teams that will be looking for upgrades. We know Didi is one of them, but Andrelton Simmons and Marcus Semien are also on that list and it will be interesting to see if the Yankees are interested in Didi....or any of the others.

It was hard for a lot of fans to see Didi leave. He became a fan favorite and now there are rumors out there that he may reunite with the Yankees again. Mark Teixeira thinks the Yankees should bring him back, read more HERE. But he also thought the Yankees were going to lose to the Cleveland Indians in the postseason and that Luke Voit should be traded even though Voit is a cheaper option for the Yankees who are rumored to be looking to cut some payroll. I don't know if Teixeira is right about this prediction or not but if he is, I wouldn't be upset about it.

This season was tough for many reasons, but I am not convinced that Gleyber Torres is a long term option for shortstop. I think he is better at second base, but Didi thinks the Yankees will stick with Torres. "I don't think they would want me back in New York, to be honest, right now," Gregorius said Friday when asked about a reunion with the Yankees. "I think Gleyber (Torres) is the future shortstop."

And even if the Yankees were interested, he may want to stay in Philly. On Friday, Didi had some opinions that some of us also share including me. Didi was asked to compare some differences between Aaron Boone and Joe Girardi and his answers were interesting.

"The biggest difference? They’re both good managers. For me, the only thing I see different is Joe goes more with his instincts – that’s what I think – and Boone goes more with analytics. That’s what the team is doing now most of the time. I always tell people I understand the analytics part of the game, but you’ve also got a take the heart of the player. You can’t measure that on paper or anything."

And I think he is right. I can't stop thinking about Boone's blunder in Game 2. Using Deivi Garcia as an opener to pull him for J.A. Happ didn't work at all. He overcomplicated it....and baseball is already complicated enough. There was no real reason to pull Garcia yet. Boone pulled Garcia to get Happ's lefty arm in and it was all based on analytics....analytics that didn't work. The instincts and the analytics should go together, and that's what Boone doesn't get.

So Didi is in a tough spot at no fault of his own. These are unprecedented times, and this will be an unprecedented offseason. Didi earned a good contract, but we will have to see where the market falls, and if Didi's statement changes the Yankees mind at all.

I would welcome Didi back with open arms, I guess we just wait and see what happens. I'm sure he's caught the attention of many teams, not just the Yankees.

  --Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

     BYB Managing Editor

    Twitter: @nyprincessj