Per the New York Post’s Joel Sherman, the Phillies have reached an agreement with free agent shortstop Didi Gregorius on a one-year contract worth 14 million dollars.
Gregorius, 29, made his debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 2012. He spent the last five seasons in New York as a member of the Yankees and was Derek Jeter’s replacement at short following his retirement. Gregorius held a slash line of .238/.276/.441 with 16 home runs and 61 RBIs in an injury shortened 2019 season. He will likely become the team’s new starting shortstop as Segura moves to second base.
Radio.com’s Jon Heyman reported Monday that Gregorius is likely to sign a one-year “prove it” deal in order to reset his free agency value, despite having multi-year offers on the table. The Gregorius signing is most likely the team’s last big splash in free agency if they plan to stay under the luxury tax.
Gregorius joins David Robertson as the only Phillies players to have played under new Phillies manager Joe Girardi. Earlier in the offseason, Girardi was not shy about letting the media know how he felt about his former shortstop, saying “I’ve always been a fan of Didi.”
We’ll have more on this story as it develops.