3 Landing spots for Didi Gregorius after Phillies release
By Matt Rappa
Where will former Philadelphia Phillies infielder Didi Gregorius play next?
The Philadelphia Phillies made an unexpected move when they released Didi Gregorius, as fellow veteran shortstop Jean Segura returned from the injured list before Thursday’s four-game series opener against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park.
By releasing Gregorius, the organization is eating about the remaining $5 million from the 11-year veteran’s $15.25 million overall salary for the 2022 season.
Gregorius showed promise in the pandemic-shortened, 60-game 2020 season — slugging 10 doubles, 10 home runs and 40 RBI, while slashing .284/.339/.488. In the 166 games and parts of two seasons since, the Netherlands native only produced 14 more home runs and 73 RBI, while slashing a dismal .210/.267/.345.
Gregorius simply just could not hit for power — particularly once he started experiencing elbow issues during the 2021 season. The “eye test” would show that Gregorius has also struggled at times defensively, although his lone two errors across 212 chances at shortstop this season would suggest otherwise (he committed 18 errors across 385 chances last season).
A change of scenery could help the former New York Yankees star who replaced Hall of Famer Derek Jeter full time for five seasons (2015-19), before he joined the Phillies and reunited with then-manager Joe Girardi.
While he may no longer be an everyday player, Gregorius can still be serviceable and there are teams that need an experienced shortstop — even after the recent trade deadline. Here are three potential landing spots of teams who may turn to Gregorius with less than 60 games remaining in the 2022 season.