New York Yankees: A somber farewell to Didi Gregorius

Though it was long thought that Didi Gregorius would be the long term solution for the New York Yankees at shortstop, now it seems his time in NYC is done.

The New York Yankees could not have asked for a better replacement for Derek Jeter than Didi Gregorius. Despite a slow start to his career in the Bronx, since the 2nd half of his first season in pinstripes, he has absolutely delivered.

All of his success in New York culminated in a huge postseason performance in 2017, beginning with a massive three-run shot in the first inning of the Wild Card game against the Minnesota Twins.

Since then, however, the memories are none too pretty for Didi. Despite a decent 2018 regular season, the season ended in the 2018 ALDS against the Boston Red Sox and was followed up with Tommy John surgery, which sidelined him for half of 2019.

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Speaking of 2019, it was arguably his worst season ever, posting career-lows in BA (.238) and OBP (.276). His postseason performance? Mired in first-pitch swings resulting in outs and a 5 for 23 performance in the ALCS.

Now, with Gleyber Torres showing that he is capable of manning shortstop, DJ LeMahieu being a natural second baseman, and third-base covered with Miguel Andujar and Gio Urshela, the Yankee infield looks overcrowded. Also, with the team choosing not to offer Gregorius a qualifying offer, the 29-year-old lefty might have seen his last days in the Bronx.

In not receiving a qualifying offer, Didi will become an unrestricted free agent and available to the best offer.

Now, that’s not to say that the New York Yankees won’t offer Didi Gregorius a contract. It does reveal that they are unwilling to give him $17.8M for one more year. Therefore, if he chooses to stay, chances are he will receive a deal for a significantly smaller amount.

The question now becomes, will there be another team willing to outbid the Yankees for Didi?