Yanks close in on SS Didi Gregorius
— -- For the all-time trivia question of who was the man to replace Derek Jeter as the New York Yankees' shortstop, the answer could very well be 24-year-old Didi Gregorius.
The Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers are deep into trade talks that would send Gregorius to the Yankees.
Detroit would get starting pitcher Shane Greene from the Yankees, and Arizona would get two pitchers from the Tigers, according to ESPN's Buster Olney and media reports.
An official with knowledge of the talks said that the three sides are moving toward finalizing the deal, but nothing is completed.
Gregorius hit .226 with six homers and 27 RBIs in 80 games with the Diamondbacks in 2014. Greene was 5-4 with a 3.78 ERA as a rookie last season.
If the trade becomes official, the Yankees would have Gregorius and Brendan Ryan as shortstops on their roster.
Gregorius, who is from the Netherlands, is known as a good defender, but there are questions if he will be able to hit consistently enough in the big leagues. In 191 games, he is a .243 career hitter.
Before news broke about the potential deal, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said the shortstop market is limited.
"That's been difficult," he said. "It is not easy, shortstop. It is not a plentiful market. It is very thin. We are not the only club looking for a shortstop, so it makes it even more difficult."
Cashman said he has had more trade talks to this point than in other winters and that teams are "definitely willing to take more risks in the trade market than they have in the past."
The Yankees liked Greene's potential; especially with the uncertainty with many of their starters. Masahiro Tanaka (elbow), CC Sabathia (knee), Ivan Nova (elbow) and Michael Pineda are the Yankees' top four starters right now. Cashman said Tanaka's rehab is over and he is set to go for spring training, as is Sabathia. Nova, after Tommy John surgery, will not be available until May at the earliest.
The team could re-sign Brandon McCarthy, Hiroki Kuroda or Chris Capuano to fill out the staff.
"This offseason, I feel like we have a lot more areas to address," Cashman said. "That means I am open to a lot more ways to solve the problems and improve the club."
Cashman said he still wants to improve the Yankees' pitching staff, adding he was open to acquiring either starters or relievers. The Yankees have had talks with left-handed reliever Andrew Miller, while they are also interested in retaining closer David Robertson.
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