Report: Yankees’ Didi Gregorius Interests Reds on 2019 MLB Free-Agent Market

Al Behrman/Associated Press

The Cincinnati Reds reportedly have interest in a reunion with free-agent shortstop Didi Gregorius, who started his MLB career with the club in 2012.

Jon Heyman of the MLB Network reported the update Friday.

Gregorius, who hit the open market after five years with the New York Yankees, emerged as one of the league's premier power threats at shortstop during the three-year period from 2016 through 2018. He posted 72 home runs over that span, including a career-high 27 homers last year.

The 29-year-old Netherlands native was limited to 82 appearances this season because he didn't return from Tommy John surgery until June. While his pop remained with 16 longballs, his OPS dropped to .717, its lowest point since his first season with the Yanks.

“I've sucked, if you want the honest truth,” he told reporters in September. “I'm not where I want to be. I'm happy about the team. Everybody got hurt, then all the guys that came up stepped up and did a great job. Of course, I'm happy about that, but you always want to look to what I have provided when I was here.”

The Yankees opted against giving Gregorius a one-year qualifying offer given the emergence of Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu as high-end middle infielders, which means he isn't attached to draft-pick compensation as a free agent. That should help him generate a market.

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Cincinnati has an obvious need at shortstop with journeyman Freddy Galvis currently penciled in as the team's starter at the position and no top prospects on the horizon.

In all, he's complied a .264/.313/.429 triple-slash line with 110 homers in 851 MLB games across eight years.

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