Cincinnati Reds: Reuniting with Didi Gregorius will be a tough sell

The Cincinnati Reds may look to a reunion with free agent shortstop Didi Gregorius this winter, but he’s more likely to stay with the New York Yankees.

Didi Gregorius signed with the Cincinnati Reds in 2007, but only saw eight games in the Queen City before being dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks prior to the 2013 season. Soon to be a free agent, a lot of fans throughout Reds Country would love to see Gregorius return to Cincinnati, but that looks to be an uphill climb given the circumstances.

Gregorius and the New York Yankees just saw their season come to a crushing end at the hands of José Altuve and the Houston Astros. Gregorius will become a free agent in just a couple weeks, but it sounds as if the 29-year-old would prefer to stay put.

According to James Wagner of the New York Times, Didi Gregorius hopes his future is in New York. That’s not surprising given the circumstances that surround Gregorius this offseason. Gregorius was hampered to begin the 2019 season by Tommy John surgery that prevented him from making his season debut until June 7th.

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Following three straight seasons that saw Gregorius slash .277/.319/.472 with 72 home runs and 243 RBIs, his limited playing time and return from injury in 2019 didn’t allow for him to put up the same production. Gregorius slashed just .238/.276/.441 in just 82 games. That might cost Gregorius should he chose to test the market and the Yankees may provide Gregorius with another option.

Didi Gregorius is subject to receiving a qualifying offer from the Yankees that would amount to a one-year deal in the neighborhood of $17M-plus. That’s nothing to sneeze at. Gregorius could elect to accept the offer and enter free agency next season after, perhaps, putting up numbers similar to his previous three years in the Bronx.

If the Yankees extend a qualifying offer to Gregorius, which is highly likely, and he declines it, the team that signs Gregorius prior to next year’s MLB Draft would lose a draft pick. Those picks have become valuable in recent years, and a lot of teams won’t wade into those waters.

Gregorius is the best shortstop available via free agency, with the other top shortstops currently on the Cincinnati Reds roster. Freddy Galvis has a $5.5M option the front office can decide to pick up or negotiate a contract with soon-to-be free agent José Iglesias. Both would be less expensive than pursuing Gregorius.

Though Gregorius had a rough season in 2019, his previous success in New York will garner him a lot of attention on the open market. While Cincinnati may be looking to upgrade the shortstop position, they won’t be alone. The Milwaukee Brewers and Texas Rangers will also likely be looking for a playmaker at the position.

Making Gregorius a priority this offseason would require a few things to fall into place before the Reds could be considered a serious contender for his services. If the Yankees decide not extend a qualifying offer or Gregorius decides not to accept it, then Cincinnati may be in play. However, if the latter occurs, it may be too rich for the Reds.