For too long, Brian Cashman was seen as the man who carried cases of Steinbrenner cash to the best free agents. He was the Yankees' general manager in name only, a personnel man who simply made it rain on Jason Giambi, Hideki Matsui, Mark Teixeira and all the high-priced mercenaries who donned pinstripes over the last 20 years.
But over the last few years, Cashman has lived up to his title, rebuilding a farm system that is among the best in baseball, spawning Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez and other talented players who have vaulted the Yankees back into World Series contention.
He's also made a few trades. And perhaps none has yielded a more sparkling return than his deal for Didi Gregorius. When the trade was announced in December 2014 -- a three-team affair that included the Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers -- not much was thought of it. Gregorius was a fine-fielding but light-hitting shortstop who had the wholly unenviable job of replacing Derek Jeter.
Indeed, Gregorius hit .226 with six home runs and 27 RBIs in 80 games with Arizona. While the Yankees normally crack open the vault to replace a legend, they were placing their hopes in someone no one had heard of and wasn't even from the farm system.
MORE: Drury Says He Has Batted In Games With Blurred VisionWe know Gregorius now. And, forgive the sacrilege, but his play is downright Jeterian.
Even with the oddly frigid weather this spring and baseball diamonds looking like Lambeau Field, nothing seems to freeze the Yankees shortstop. After belting two homers Monday night in the Bronx, Gregorius is batting .327, with five homers and 16 RBIs in just 13 games. In two-plus seasons before he landed in the Bronx, Gregorius hit 25 doubles and 13 homers. In just over three seasons as a Yankee, he's swatted 91 doubles and smacked 59 homers. Gregorius also leads all the majors in slugging percentage (.796) and OPS (1.242).
At 28, Gregorius is entering his absolute prime years and is open to a contract extension, with his current deal making him a free agent after the 2019 season. The Yankees have made overtures to Orioles star Manny Machado, whom Aaron Judge said "would look pretty good in pinstripes." Machado, who moved to shortstop this year after playing the bulk of his career at third base, has long loved the Yankees, going back to his childhood.
But Gregorius is here, loves being here and his posting prodigious numbers. Not to mention, he would cost way less than Machado. If the Yankees are still being mindful of the salary cap and are increasingly allergic to the luxury tax, it all points to Gregorius, who made a paltry $5.1 million in 2017, and will make a rather manageable $8.5 million this season. By contrast, Machado makes double that now ($16 million) and could double even that salary per season should the Yankees poach him from Baltimore.
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We all thought Gregorius would be solemn answer to a trivia question: Who replaced Derek Jeter as shortstop of the New York Yankees? Instead, you may wonder whom the Yankees traded to get him (pitcher Shane Greene). No doubt Gregorius is the marquee player of the deal that included Greene, Robbie Ray and Domingo Leyba. There's also no doubt none of us saw this coming, except perhaps Cashman, who gets serious kudos for the best trade of his tenure.
The Yanks largely avoid contract extensions this long before the current deal expires. And it's certainly in their nature to buy a shiny replacement, like Machado. But strange things sometimes happen to baseball players when they get to the Big Apple. Just ask Giancarlo Stanton. Something just as strange happened to Didi Gregorius. He's become a star.
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