Didi Gregorius headed to Yankees in three-team deal
Heading into the offseason, the future of the shortstop position for the New York Yankees was uncertain for the first time in two decades. With Derek Jeter hanging it up after 20 seasons and Stephen Drew pursuing free agency, the position was a major question mark for general manager Brian Cashman.
On Friday, he answered that question – to some degree.
In a three-team deal, Cashman acquired 24-year-old shortstop Didi Gregorius from the Arizona Diamondbacks. In return, Arizona received 23-year-old Robbie Ray from the Detroit Tigers and New York sent Shane Greene to the Motor City. The deal was first reported by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Source: Gregorius going to #Yankees. Deal is done.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 5, 2014
Whether or not Gregorius is the heir apparent to Jeter is still a feasible question. Last year with the Diamondbacks, he struggled at the dish, posting a slash line of .226/.290/.363 across 80 games. Once regarded as one of the top shortstop prospects in the game, Gregorius’ value has declined – largely because of his struggles at the plate, but he still is a high-upside infielder who is under team control through 2020.
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His first full season was 2013, during which he hit .252/.332.,373, appearing in 108 games. As noted, he appeared in just 80 games last season because he was eventually upended in the depth chart by Chris Owings, who took advantage of the opportunity, posting a slash-line of .261/.300/.406, spending time at both shortstop and second base, defensively.
Ray, who was traded from Detroit to Arizona, is a former 12th-round pick who struggled in 2014, posting an 8.16 ERA and 1.884 WHIP across 28 2/3 innings of work. With the team’s Triple-A affiliate, Ray, who entered the season as the 98th-ranked prospect in the game, has a 4.22 ERA in 20 outings – in tune with his career Minor League earned run average of 4.27.
Greene could be the fifth starter for the Tigers in 2015 after serving as a spot starter last season in New York. He averaged an impressive 9.3 strikeouts per nine last season with the Yankees, making 14 starts while providing some sense of stability to the injury-plagued club’s rotation.