Didi Gregorius signs with Mexican League team

Didi Gregorius will play in Mexico this season. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire)

The Algodoneros de Unión Laguna of the Mexican League have announced that they have signed former Phillies shortstop Didi Gregorius to a one-year contract.

The Royals, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, were rumored to have interest in signing Gregorius at the end of March, but he’ll go to Mexico to resume his professional career.

Gregorius slashed .230/.287/.384 with 24 home runs and 113 RBIs across three seasons with the Phillies from 2020 to 2022. He signed a one-year, $14 million deal with Philadelphia in December 2019 and posted a solid .827 OPS during the shortened season.

They brought him back on a two-year deal and he struggled, posting a .613 OPS across those two years he was under contract for. He was released by the club on August 4, 2022 after the Phillies reinstated Jean Segura from the 60-day injured list. Bryson Stott became the everyday shortstop.

He played in this year’s World Baseball Classic with the Netherlands as a first baseman. Gregorius went 8-for-23 with a home run and eight RBIs during the tournament.

Gregorius is still getting paid by the Phillies. Eight million of his $28 million contract was deferred. The Phillies will pay Gregorius $2 million on each Feb. 1 from 2023 to 2026. According to the Associated Press, his $1.5 million signing bonus will be payed out in $500,000 installments from 2024-26. The numbers do not count against the Phillies luxury tax bill.