The Yankees have reportedly declined to extend Didi Gregorius a qualifying offer, thus making him eligible to hit the free-agent market.
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Yankees did not offer Didi Gregorius this year’s $17.8 million qualifying offer so he is now officially a free agent. This is no surprise that the Yankees aren’t looking to pay top dollar for a shortstop coming off the worst season of his career.
Gregorius is now a free agent without compensation attached to him. #Yankees
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) November 4, 2019
Didi Gregorius is clearly a fan favorite in the Bronx, but there comes a time where you need to part with certain players and now is the time for Didi. Gleyber Torres is a blossoming young star and should take over the reign at shortstop, his natural position so he can continue to grow as the superstar he is.
The main knock on Gregorius in negotiation conversations is his lack of ability to get on-base, an aspect of the game which has been so magnified in recent years. He has a .313 career on-base percentage, which is way below the league average.
While it is still possible that the Yankees offer Gregorius another contract for less money, I wouldn’t count on Didi returning to the Bronx next season. It just seems like now would be the perfect time to part ways with the aging shortstop. There is no doubt that Didi will always be respected in New York for accomplishing the impossible task of taking over for Derek Jeter at short, but he passed the test with flying colors.
Now, we will just have to see as the offseason progresses what the Yankees decide to do with Gregorius and whether or not they feel like Gleyber Torres is ready to become an everyday shortstop.
Stay tuned to Unhinged Yankees all offseason for up-to-date coverage regarding all aspects of the Yankees organization.