Did the Yankees make the right move? Or should they have held on to Shane Greene?
The Yankees made their first splash of the offseason this morning, trading for Didi Gregorius in a three-team deal that included Detroit and Arizona. Detroit landed Shane Greene, while Arizona received Robbie Ray from the Tigers.
While the Yankees certainly needed a new shortstop now that Derek Jeter has retired (and with a lackluster free agent market, a trade was always a likely possibility), they certainly gave up a promising and cheap young arm in Shane Greene. Greene memorably stepped up last season as the rotation crumbled to pieces, pitching to the tune of a 3.78 ERA and a 3.73 FIP in almost 79 innings. He did a lot to stabilize the Yankee rotation and gave them plenty of good starts down the stretch, helping to keep them in the playoff hunt until the last week of the season. The Yankees, with all the question marks in their rotation heading into next year, just might miss him.
Still, they needed a shortstop, and the idea that the Yankees might be an ideal landing spot for Gregorius has been floated many times before. Gregorius's main calling card is his defense, as he's long been thought of as a plus defensive shortstop. His bat certainly leaves something to be desired, though: Gregorius hit just .226/.290/.363 for a 76 wRC+ last season, and was almost always below average offensively in the minors. Still, if he can play great defense while improving slightly at the plate, he should be quite a serviceable shortstop for the next few seasons.
What are your thoughts about the Gregorius trade? Is this the shortstop you've been waiting for? Are you sad that Greene is gone? Overall, do you think the Yankees made the right move?