Philadelphia Phillies: 3 players who definitely won’t be back in 2021

Didi Gregorius, SS

As discussed earlier this week (“So, what was the point of signing Didi Gregorius?”), the Philadelphia Phillies have just completely mishandled the Didi Gregorius situation. They failed to negotiate an extension with him during his stellar regular season, and then opted to not extend him a qualifying offer.

Now, barring some sort of last second big money extension, Gregorius will likely find himself a different landing spot in the offseason. The spend-happy Los Angeles Angles have already reportedly expressed interest in the veteran shortstop, and it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the all of the sudden stingy Phillies front office would enter a bidding war for Gregorius.

Gregorius was a breath of fresh air during the 2020 season. Not only was he extremely productive at the plate and in the field, but his personality instantly connected with the Philadelphia community. He quickly established himself as a fan favorite, and his solid play only furthered that sentiment amongst Phillies supporters.

The Phils still need a 1-2 year stopgap at shortstop before Bryson Stott is ready for the role, and Gregorius was in all honesty the perfect man for the job. It’s beyond frustrating that the team had him in their building and failed to come to some sort of agreement, all but sealing the deal on a divorce between the two sides in the offseason.