Reds: Yankees slow pursuit of DJ LeMahieu may take Didi Gregorius away

The Yankees may steal Didi Gregorius away from the Reds.

According to MLB.com, free agent infielder DJ LeMahieu has become dismayed by the New York Yankees’ slow pace this offseason and is now entertaining other offers. If LeMahieu does not re-sign with the Bronx Bombers, Didi Gregorius may be New York’s backup option. That would take another shortstop off the market for the Cincinnati Reds this winter.

According the New York Post, the Yankees and LeMahieu are millions of dollars apart. In fact, Joel Sherman reported recently that the two sides were $25M apart. That’s a pretty big gap, and if the Yankees fail to re-sign LeMahieu, they’ll need another infielder to fill his spot in New York’s lineup.

The Reds front office has stated that adding a starting shortstop is a priority this offseason. So far, we’ve seen little evidence that there’s any truth to that. There had been whispers a few weeks ago that Cincinnati’s front office had made contact with Didi Gregorius’ agent.

However, if LeMahieu doesn’t re-sign with the Yankees, Gregorius may return to the Bronx rather than the Queen City. Gregorius was once part of Cincinnati’s farm system and played eight games in a Reds uniform, but the 30-year-old had his most success professionally with the Yankees.

In five seasons with New York, Gregorius slashed .269/.313/.446 with 120 homers and 457 RBIs from 2015-2019. With the Philadelphia Phillies last season, Gregorius hit .284 with 10 home runs in 60 games.

The Reds would love to sign Gregorius, but we’ve heard nothing in recent weeks about Cincinnati’s pursuit of the former farmhand or any other shortstop being on the team’s radar. Were the season to start today, Kyle Farmer or José García may be the Opening Day shortstop.

Farmer is a solid utility player, but should not be counted on as the team’s everyday shortstop. García has the makings of being a phenomenal defensive shortstop at the big league level, but his bat is not up to par and he’ll likely begin the season at Triple-A Louisville.

The Hot Stove has been quite cold this offseason outside the recent trade between the New York Mets and Cleveland Indians. If the Yankees fail to get a deal done with DJ LeMahieu, they’ll likely pluck Gregorius from under the Reds’ noses. If Cincinnati really wants to bring Didi back home, the front office should act quickly.