Brian_Cashman
Is Brian Cashman ready to spend?
(John O'Boyle/The Star-Ledger)
Well, somebody had to do it, and the unlucky player who will forever be remembered as The Guy Who Replaced Derek Jeter is a light-hitting 24-year-old who probably was about to lose his starting job in Arizona this season.
Meet Mariekson Julius Gregorious – you can call him Didi – and let's all agree to stop the comparisons with the previous shortstop turned internet entrepreneur/publishing guru before they start. He's not Jeter, but he's certainly a capable replacement for the 2014 version, one who is highly regarded defensively whose left-handed swing could benefit from playing in the Bronx.
Maybe most significantly: He's cheap. His $506,000 salary will seem like loose change in the Steinbrenner family sofa compared to the $458 million the team invested on four players last offseason.
So filling an important hole on the team in an un-Yankee-way makes it easy to wonder: Is general manager Brian Cashman saving up for the opportunity to make a bigger splash once the offseason feeding frenzy really begins?
He's been saying the opposite, although he left the door open today when he told reporters at an event in Stamford, Conn., that he would “walk through and consider all options” to improve the team this winter.
“There are certain things that can impact us, and we can change our course of action that we weren’t necessarily pursuing early,” Cashman said. “I’m not trying to chase you guys into some big story. I just think we’re open to evaluating the marketplace as it evolves, and how our efforts evolve, as well.”
That's hardly an earth-shattering statement. But giving up Shane Greene in the deal to get Gregorious means Cashman certainly must add at least one and probably two starters. The rotation now is C.C. Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda – all three of whom have had major arm issues – and then a bunch of question marks.
Do they bring Brandon McCarthy, who was very good at the end of last season, back as a short-term fix? Do they hope Ivan Nova can return from Tommy John surgery in the summer to fill a spot, or that Hiroki Kuroda makes his annual decision to postpone his retirement and sign up for one more summer?
Or do they do what the Yankees usually do and get serious on the big three free-agent starters – Jon Lester, Max Scherzer and James Shields – and take on another contract with all those zeroes?
It's a decision that could determine if the Yankees are postseason contenders in 2015 again or content to let another summer go down the drain. This time, if they aren't a factor in October, they won't have Jeter's farewell party to distract everyone and sell all those tickets for meaningless September home games.
Which is why the Gregorious deal is interesting. They've found their next shortstop, in the short term at least, on the cheap. Does it mean they're ready to open up the checkbooks for something else?
Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevePoliti. Find NJ.com on Facebook.