The NY Yankees have pulled off a trade for Diamondbacks shortstop Didi Gregorius to replace Derek Jeter and it comes in a three team deal with Arizona and the Detroit Tigers involving Shane Greene and Robbie Ray, according to Fox Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal.
Media outlets have started to confirm the deal and right now it is pending with physicals to come. Gregorius has been a target for the Mets and other teams in need of a shortstop over the past couple years, as the D-Backs also have Chris Owings as an option. According to Joel Sherman, the deal is basically done and is in place pending physicals and now the Yankees have the player to replace Jeter. The team gave up a solid young pitcher, but it was not a high price for Gregorius.
UPDATE: Yankees have also signed Andrew Miller to a four year deal.
The Yankees, Diamondbacks and Tigers have pulled off trades before in three team deals and now Gregorius is headed to the Bronx. Gregorius actually had his first at bat in the majors against the Yankees and hit a home run off of Phil Hughes and now he has the chance to come back to the Bronx. The team feels that Gregorius adds some power to the position and now he is a young player coming in that can stick around for a number of years. The Yankees wanted to get younger at the position and Gregorius is an upgrade over Stephen Drew, another SS option.
Greene pitched well for the Yankees, but the team sees Gregorius as a worthy option for him and they think they can sign other pitchers on the market. Greene ended up with a 5-4 record and a 3.78 ERA last season while coming in. The Yankees had a number of injuries last season with Masahiro Tanaka and CC Sabathia going down along with Ivan Nova and while Greene takes away an arm, Gregorius fills a major hole.
The Yankees farm system is a mess and now they have a very solid prospect and player in Gregorius and he should be a good replacement for the legend Derek Jeter. Gregorius is obviously not a Jeter type player and no one really is, but he is a better replacement than a high priced Hanley Ramirez or Stephen Drew. Gregorius is just 25 years old and that is huge for the Yankees and while he hit .226 with just six home runs last season, it was in limited time. Gregorius has a lot of development to go through, but he is a very strong option for the Yankees to pick up.
Last season the Yankees missed the playoffs for the second season in a row and now they have a shortstop in Gregorius to replace Jeter. The team was rumored to be interested in a major deal with Max Scherzer, while Andrew Miller and David Robertson are also targets. Miller is expected to sign this week ahead of the winter meetings and the Yankees could pull the trigger if they offer him a fourth year.
