Don’t close door on Yankees reuniting with Didi Gregorius

With the Phillies tightening their financial belt, there is a strong possibility they won’t be able to bring back shortstop Didi Gregorius and catcher J.T. Realmuto via free agency.

With the Yankees possibly shifting Gleyber Torres from short to second, could that lead to a reunion with Didi Gregorius?

A year ago, Gregorius finished a season in which he was limited to 82 games due to Tommy John surgery and didn’t get much traction with the Yankees as a free agent because the Yankees believed Torres could handle the every-day action at short.

Eventually, Gregorius signed a one-year deal for $14 million with the Phillies. It was viewed as a bet on himself, and Gregorius won the wager by hitting .284 with 10 homers, 40 RBIs and posting an .827 OPS playing in all 60 games of the COVID-impacted schedule. Even in a financially depressed market, it is safe to say Gregorius, who turns 31 in February, will do better than a one-year deal this time around.

Now the Phillies will likely move Jean Segura back to short from third.

On Oct. 23, Gregorius said on WFAN, “I don’t think they’d want me back in New York to be honest, right now.’’

However, there are no voices inside the organization screaming their displeasure when his name is brought up internally.

He was immensely popular in the clubhouse and with the fan base. And if you want to ding him for hitting .238 in 82 regular-season games in 2019, you have to credit him for batting .273 (9-for-33) with six RBIs and an .839 OPS in six postseason games.

In five seasons with the Yankees, Gregorius handled being Derek Jeter’s replacement and left with a .269 average in pinstripes.

Like any other deal in 2020 — whether it is a trade or a free-agent signing — there are roadblocks.

Unless the Yankees lose DJ LeMahieu in free agency, or they are willing to trade first baseman Luke Voit — who led the majors in homers with 22 this past season — and move LeMahieu to first — they won’t have room for Gregorius. That’s because LeMahieu would be the starting second baseman and force Torres to stay at short, where he made nine errors in 42 games.

And the Phillies aren’t the only team watching the dollars. According to Hal Steinbrenner, his club lost more money than any other this past season.

LeMahieu, who led the majors with a .364 batting average and the AL with a 1.011 OPS, is still the betting favorite to re-sign with the Yankees, and there is a need for fellow free agent Masahiro Tanaka to return to the rotation.

Starting next Wednesday, teams have to offer arbitration-eligible players contracts. If they don’t, the players become free agents. Considering the financial bath teams took this past season because of no fans in the seats during the regular season, the free-agent market is expected to be flooded.

With Andrelton Simmons and Marcus Siemen free agents, the Angels and A’s, respectively, will be looking for replacements, and Gregorius and the Angels have been linked.

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