According to our Ken Rosenthal, the New York Yankees have acquired shortstop Didi Gregorius from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-way deal with the Detroit Tigers.
There will be an influx of written and spoken words comparing Gregorius to Jeter and how Gregorius is the one who will fill Jeter's shoes.
Here's the thing, no one has to fill Derek Jeter's shoes. He was a once-in-a-generation type of player, his career is not one that can be easily replaced.
Gregorius will be 25 years old on Opening Day, the Yankees will be his third organization. Entering his age 25 season Derek Jeter already had three full years as the Yankees starting shortstop under his belt. In that time he also earned a World Series ring, a Rookie of the Year trophy, an All-Star appearance and a third-place finish in AL MVP voting along with over 2,100 plate appearances and nearly 600 hits. Gregorius has 727 plate appearances so far in his career and has never started for a full season.
Trying to compare the two or call Gregorius the guy that replaces Jeter is unfair.
What Yankees fans will get is a superior defender, as one executive who has seen him a lot over his career called him, "an elite shortstop.". The offense though won't compare. Gregorius is a career .243 hitter whose left-handed bat might net him 8-12 home runs playing half of his games in Yankee Stadium. From a batting average standpoint, .240-.260 is likely.
Gregorius will be arbitration eligible as a Super Two player after next season, so the Yankees have him cost controlled for the next five years. From that angle, he is a much needed commodity in their organization.
Be fair, temper expectations. The Yankees are getting a great glove, an average bat and maybe most importantly, a young man with the kind of maturity that can handle replacing Derek Jeter. But calling him heir apparent to the throne of a first ballot Hall of Famer and one of the greatest Yankees of all time is just not right.
The Yankees don't need to replace their great players who have departed over recent years. The need to get better than they have been and they need to get younger. This deal accomplishes that.
