The Phillies desperately need some help in the middle of their infield and Didi Gregorius still needs to find a ball club to play for this season. As the free agent market slowly begins unfold, it’s looking more likely that Gregorius could find his away back home to be the shortstop for the Phillies in 2021.

Looking around the league, the New York Yankees have brought back DJ LeMahieu as a free agent which likely means the chance of a reunion between the Yanks and Didi are slim. The Yankees, much like the Phillies, have been adamant on being budget conscious this offseason.

If the Phillies can strike a deal with Gregorius ranging in the two-years, $20-$30 million dollar range, they should absolutely jump on it. That deal should be enticing enough for Didi, which would make him a free agent at the age of 32 and primed to land another two or three year contract assuming his offense and defense doesn’t falter over the next two years. On top of that, there are a ton of shortstops hitting free agency after this year so it wouldn’t make sense for Didi to enter a heavily diluted market after another one-year deal.

Gregorius was fantastic for the Phillies last year, playing in all 60 games and slashing .284/.339/.488. He had 10 home runs and 40 RBI while only striking out 28 times. Didi and Alec Bohm proved to be the most clutch hitters for the Phillies in 2020 and his left-handed bat was a perfect addition to the lineup.

The Phillies still have plenty of money to work with and are more than capable of bringing back JT Realmuto, Didi Gregorius and some additional arms in the bullpen. You would think that Didi would bite on a two-year contract that’s worth anything above $18 million. With the free agent market for shortstops shrinking this year before exploding wide open next year, it’s looking more and more likely that Didi will be on the Phillies this year to avoid getting lost in the impending shortstop shuffle.

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