Didi Gregorius is back for a second season with the Philadelphia Phillies, and the organization is happy to still have the 31-year-old’s bat in their lineup. However, there was a point last offseason where Dave Dombrowski and company were apparently more interested in another shortstop.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Phillies were more keen on Andrelton Simmons in free agency, adding that “they felt a deal was in reach” just prior to February.
Ultimately, Simmons ended up inking a one-year/$10.5 million deal with the Minnesota Twins on January 31. That came a day after the Phillies reached terms on a two-year/$28 million deal to bring Gregorius back.