The Phillies agree on a two-year deal with shortstop Didi Gregorius, reports Jayson Stark of Atlético (Twitter link) It is a $ 28 million guarantee, add Ken Rosenthal of Atlético. The deal contains deferrals, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (via Twitter)
Gregorius returns to Philadelphia after originally joining Phils on a one-year contract last winter. That marked a sort of proven deal after Gregorius fought in 2019, and the veteran shortstop took the opportunity. He started 56 of the team’s 60 games on the shortstop and hit a strong .284 / .339 / .488 with ten home runs in 237 plate appearances.
Given how well he performed in 2020, it makes sense that the Phillies were happy to keep Gregorius in the fold. Your return allows the club to maintain Jean Segura on second base, where he played last season. This also prevents Phils from having to write Scott Kingery in a day-to-day role after having fought for a brutal 2020. Rhys Hoskins and Alec Bohm now you can flank the Gregorius-Safe pairing on the ground.
Gregorius was often grouped with Marcus Semien and Andrelton Simmons at the top of the free market this winter for shortstops established in the big leagues. All three agreed to the terms this week, with Gregorius finding the most profitable guarantee. Semien and Simmons signed one-year agreements each (although Semien’s $ 18 million exceeds Gregorius’ average annual value of $ 14 million), while Gregorius received a multi-year agreement. However, its total value of $ 28 million comes south of the MLBTR team’s projection of $ 39 million over three years entering the off-season.
This may reflect the teams’ apprehension about Gregorius’s hit-ball metrics. Its average exit speed of 83.8 MPH last season was only in the league’s second percentile. He was near the end of the league in hard contact rate and barrel rate, too. Gregorius was never the type to hit the ball hard, although his average speed of departure has been closer to the league average in the past two seasons with the Yankees.
Obviously, Gregorius was very successful, despite these unimpressive contact quality metrics. He has been an above average hitter in three of the past four seasons, with a 2019 season in which he returned from Tommy John’s surgery in the middle of the season remaining his only negative year. Gregorius puts the ball in play at an elite pace, helping him to get good batting averages. He also established a special talent for hitting the ball in the air for the right field, allowing him to hit with a fair amount of strength in games, despite not having great brute strength.
On the other side of the ball, Gregorius received mixed reviews of defensive metrics. Ultimate Zone Rating has long classified it as an average shortstop, while Defensive Runs Saved soured it recently. Meanwhile, Statcast’s Outs Above Average metric has rated Gregorius as a below average defender every year since it was introduced in 2017. Over a two-year contract, the 30-year-old (31 in February) should not have no problem keeping it on the shortstop, even though he is no longer the defender he was at the beginning of his career.
The Phillies managed to maintain their potential free agent matches by hiring Gregorius a week after bringing the catcher back. JT Realmuto on a five-year contract. Phils ‘payroll now stands at about $ 187 million, per Roster Resource, in line with last season’s $ 185 million mark before prorating (although the undisclosed delays in Gregorius’ business may decrease this current number). The organization’s estimated $ 195.3 million in luxury bonds leaves just under $ 15 million if the property is willing to spend up to the first tax cap. Even after adding Matt Moore, Philadelphia can increase its team of pitchers if they want to keep pace with a talented NL East.
From a broader market perspective, Gregorius’ subscription removes the latest obvious gauge shortstop from the free agency. Teams without a clear option there, the Reds and Athletics among them, can now return to the trade market to solidify their position.