Didi, we did know ye. And we liked ye uncommonly.

So Didi is gone.  And going strictly by the statistics, this makes sense.

He'll be 30 years old in February, our Didi, and last season was not a good one, even after he got back from his half-season on the DL.  The average was down to .238, and all too often he looked like Alfonso Soriano, flailing away at pitches he could neither hit nor lay off.

Let him go
Let him go
Let him go.

In the playoffs, despite that glorious grand slam against Minnesota, he usually looked even worse, overwhelmed by top pitching.  At his age the odds are against him regaining his old form, and isn't it past time to give the Yanks' very patient "kids" more of a shot?

Slot LeMahieu, nearly this year's MVP into second, give Ford a solid shot at first, and let Thairo the Pharaoh and Tyler Too take up the utility roles they seem born to play.  If the Yankees fall short again in 2020, chances are it will not be due to a lack of infield depth.

It all makes sense on paper.

Let him go
Let him go
Let him go.

And yet.  And yet.

Even the best ideas on paper have a tendency to go awry.  I don't know how the Phils will do with him next year, or how the Yanks will do without him.  But what we do know is that Didi Gregorius gave us one decent season and three excellent ones, before his injury-hobbled 2019.

He stepped into two of the hardest shoes to fill in the history of New York sports, and he did it all without any muss, fuss, or bother.

Taking over for Derek Jeter?  It's hard to think of anyone who stepped in so well for such a giant.  There's Mantle taking over for DiMaggio, and Elston Howard for Yogi, of course, but after that?  

Can we even remember who took over at center for Willis Reed, once the captain was finally done?  Who replaced Joe Willie at quarterback?

Even better, Sir Didi played the game with élan, with all the spirit and joy a young man should convey, making a small fortune to play baseball everyday.  His tweets were hilarious, and he always hustled, and he played shortstop better than Derek Jeter ever did.

In the first month of the 2018 season, it looked as if Didi might be possible of something greater than we'd ever imagined, batting .327, hitting 10 homers and drawing 18 walks, driving in 30 runs.  It looked like the beginning of an MVP season, and we asked ourselves if Didi could actually be a great ballplayer, not just a very, very good one.

Well, it didn't work out that way.  He reverted to being his streaky self, and then came the injury.

But let's never forget that even that injury came on a hustle play, to score the winning run that clinched a playoff spot.  Let's not forget that he played the whole of the postseason without shirking or complaint (lookin' at you, Giancarlo), and the smile never seemed to leave his face.

Here's lookin' at you, Didi Gregorius, and let's hope you're back in the Stadium for the World Series.