To Sir with love

Take my word for this: In a comic book universe, nobody ever dies. The head-wound may look fatal, the death ray might have landed squarely, and the inter-dimensional porthole may have closed behind him, but trust me here: He'll be back. They all come back. Heroes, villains, in-between... doesn't matter. They all come back.

Within the Yankiverse, a similar force of resurrection exists. Andy Pettitte came back. So did Ruben Sierra, Tino Martinez, Mike Stanton, Nick Johnson, Roger Clemens, Tyler Clippard, Aaron Boone, Nick Swisher (to the minors, anyway) and (ugh) Javier Vazquez. Now, this doesn't happen to everyone. Joba never returned; nor have Ian Kennedy or Phil Hughes, the once-upon-a-time trio of future Yankee greats. But here's the thing: They will.

Some sunny Sunday afternoon, maybe five years from now, they will amble gingerly from the dugout, bald and buttery, and jog onto the field, waving to the crowd. It will be Old-Timers Day, and if the Fates allow us to be watching, we'll wipe away tears recalling the kids who came up from Columbus, or Albany, or Scranton, or in the case of Sir Didi Gregorius, the Arizona desert.

Someday, Didi will return. Maybe it will be for a pennant stretch. Maybe he'll play 3B, or be a fat DH. Or maybe he will have white hair and a tapered stride. But we will recognize the smile, effortless and everlasting, and our hearts will ache from remembering this weekend long ago... the day Didi left.

On that day, we will be reminded that Didi did the impossible: He replaced Jeter. Moreover, before Didi, the Yankee "Sir" was Sidney Ponson. At least that's off our backs. 

But today, we face more than simple reflections on a great ex-Yankee. There is rightful concern to the danger of letting Didi go. It means the future face of the Yankees, Gleyber Torres, moves to SS. If it works, no problem. If it doesn't, well, it could unleash a series of dominoes. 

Moving Gleyber means DJ LeMahieu plays 2B. No problem there. But it leaves two question marks at 1B: Luke Voit (who, frankly, fell apart in the second half) and Mike Ford (who hasn't been around long enough.) Neither will win a gold glove, and a poor-fielding 1B can undermine an entire infield.

It almost begs the question of whether the Yankees should keep LeMahieu at first, use Miguel Andujar at 3B and move Gio Urshela to 2B. But can Miggy play 3B? Can Gio play 2B? As problems go, this is not a team-crusher. The Yankees should be able to figure everything out by late May. But simply stated: Didi is no small loss. The man who replaced Jeter won't easily be replaced by Tyler Wade or Thairo Estrada.

But but BUT... let's be real here: If the signing of Gerrit Cole meant the loss of Didi, so be it. I wish the team could have given Didi a qualifying offer; a draft pick would be nice. But I'm not going to squawk. We just signed the most expensive pitcher in history. And on that future summer day when Didi steps onto the field, as the fans shout and shutter their tears, who knows? Maybe Cole will be warming up. 

Between now and then, thank you, Sir. We had our ups and downs. But you always brought your smile, and more often than not, you gave it to us. We will never forget you. And we will await your return.