To Sir, With Love

Now and then, my thoughts turn to winter. Will Syracuse again win the Golden Snowball? Can Taylor Swift beat Lana Del Ray in the charts? Will the Fox News aliens finally make contact? And how will the events of October reshape the future Yankees?

For example, will the Death Star re-sign Edwin Encarnacion? You have to wonder. It's a team of daily DH candidates - Stanton, Sanchez, Voit, Thunder, everybody who's nursing something, etc. But what if the Parrot leads us to a championship? When the Whoos sang their carols, the Grinch's heart expanded 10 times. Could the same happen with Food Stamp Hal's wallet? Christmas in New York... anything is possible.

Still, Encarnacion is a six-month Yankee. We might love him, but six-month Yankees come and go. The torture question this winter concerns Sir Didi Gregorius, last night's hero.

By now, we've all seen Didi's slam, how he grabbed the top of the bat and pretzeled himself like Carlton Fisk, keeping it fair. He rounded the bases without cracking a smile, then later - at the crowd's demand - goal-posted his hands in Nixon fashion, rousing the loudest cheer of the night, if not the season.

Listen: That might have been the last great moment of Didi's Yankee career. 

Before continuing, one point: No way I'm thinking this series is over. After 2004, I will never pop a cork on champagne or ungoosh a can of Old Milwaukee before the final out of the final game. I can list 100 reasons why the Yanks could flat-line in Minnesota and return home Wednesday with the Twins on stilts and Luis Cessa in the mix. Buried in that list is the chance that Didi leaves 10 runners in scoring position, cementing his future in another town. 

Considering what we know about Food Stamp Hal's austerity program - aka  Yankee cheapness - will we re-sign our most beloved player?

The heart says yes. The head isn't so sure. And my guess is that Cooperstown Cashman didn't last this long by putting either in front of Hal's money clip. When Didi declares for free agency, several teams - quite possibly the Mets and Redsocks - will answer the call. (By the way, this would favor us keeping him, because Hal won't want to lose to a rival.) Didi can play anywhere. He'll turn 30 in February and expect a huge bump from his $11.5 million salary. He's coming off a bad year due to injuries. At SS, the Yankees would have five fallback options - Gio Urshela, DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres, Thairo Estrada and Tyler Wade (who in my opinion is vastly underrated.) There will also be a bunch of nobodies on the free agent scrapheap, with Cashman looking to burnish his reputation for having the magic touch. (Don't forget: Last winter, the Yankees briefly had Hanser Alberto - who finished 8th in the AL in hitting for Baltimore - before losing him in a roster crunch; it's amazing, the talent that is out there.)  

So, it doesn't look good for Didi returning... unless you factor in the Hero Quotient. What if Didi goes on a tear, the way Jackie Bradley Jr. did last October, (which saved his time in Boston.) If Didi helps lead the Yankees to a world series, it would be hard for Hal to let him walk, no matter who offers what? So at least for now, let's go with our heart. Sir Didi Gregorius is everybody's favorite Yankee. I've found that even Redsock fans like him. He plays with a joyfulness you seldom see. He needs is a big October. Maybe, just maybe, it started last night.