Free Agent Hot Stove: Didi Gregorius

Now that I have predicted all of the top-tier free agents this offseason, it is time to start analyzing the cases of lesser free agents. Didi Gregorius is still a very solid player, who can be a great contributor to any team under the right circumstances. It is clear that he can perform well for big market teams, as he had a very good tenure with the Yankees from 2015 through 2019. He will be entering his age 31 season, and judging from his good 2020 season, it is clear he still has some talent left in the tank.

Coming off an injury-plagued 2019 season, Didi bounced back in the shortened 2020 season. He played in all 60 games, had 61 hits, 10 home runs, 40 RBIs, and a .284 batting average. He saw a big jump in his on-base percentage, as he had a career .313 OBP going into 2020, but had a .339 in the shortened season. This is a huge jump for Gregorius, and it shows a ton of promise even though it was just through 60 games.

I believe that there are three teams that will be atop the list to most likely get Gregorius: the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cleveland Indians. Normally I just list two teams, but the case of Francisco Lindor is why I included a third team. Lindor is the star shortstop for Cleveland, and he has one year left in his contract. It is highly suspected that they will try to move Lindor, as his trade value is currently very high, and they want to dump his salary to clear up space. This all makes sense, as the Indians could certainly use some more depth and minor league talent.

Interestingly, the Reds are also atop the list of the Lindor sweepstakes. If they end up getting him, then I’m sure the Indians will look to get Gregorius to replace him. However, I believe that the Mets and Yankees will be more likely to land Lindor. Regardless, it is highly likely that the Indians will trade Lindor, and I believe that Didi will be most likely to replace him.

It is also highly likely that he will just end up re-signing with Philadelphia. He surely likes playing there, and I’m sure the Phillies will try to get him back. I predict that he will get a 3 year/ $48 million dollar deal. His stock is considerably up after his good 2020 season, and I believe this is a fair contract prediction for Gregorius. Overall, I don’t believe that there will be a ton of teams going after Didi, as next year’s offseason will have some great free agent shortstops, headlined by Trevor Story and the aforementioned Francisco Lindor. Regardless, there will definitely be a few teams that will push hard for Gregorius.