The New York Yankees were lucky to have a player like shortstop Didi Gregorius feature on the team for several years, and not only for his consistent production, but also his likeness and positive attitude.
When injuries were piling up, and the goings got tough, Gregorius was always there to crack a smile or post one of his illustrious post-win tweets. However, the Yankees rejected his qualifying offer this offseason and elected to take the infield in a different direction, likely plugging Gleyber Torres into shortstop while DJ LeMahieu takes over at second base.
Where’s Gregorius off to now?
The 29-year-old veteran signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Phillies, departing from the Bronx and hoping for a bounce-back year, following a season where he returned at the mid-way point due to Tommy John surgery. He still managed to hit 16 homers and 61 RBIs in that time frame.
At full health, Gregorius is a quality defender with a consistent bat. It will be interesting to see if he maintains his power considering the Yankees’ home-run centric mentality.
Didi’s goodbye:
I want to thank the New York Yankees organization for the awesome 5 season i had there and for letting me grow into myself and be around great group of guys … and to the fans thanks for the boo’s and the cheers and push me to be better Much love
I want to thank the New York Yankees organization for the awesome 5 season i had there and for letting me grow into myself and be around great group of guys … and to the fans thanks for the boo’s and the cheers and push me to be better
Much love pic.twitter.com/qDfwOv7m54— Sir Didi Gregorius (@DidiG18) December 13, 2019
With manager Aaron Boone committing to Torres at SS, it opens up an interesting dialogue. Should we be worried about his defense? Comparably to Gregorius’ .979 fielding percentage and six errors over 80 games, Torres logged a .961 fielding percentage and 11 errors over 77 games.
Trusting young Gleyber to take over in a full-capacity role with his defensive inconsistencies might be overly optimistic. I wouldn’t be surprised if GM Brian Cashman brought in a veteran to smooth over the transition.