With the postseason right around the corner for the New York Yankees during the 2020 regular season, consistency has been hard to come by. Injuries have once again bitten the team, and struggles have been ever-present, but the Yankees have found a way to survive.
With the Bombers staying quiet and behind the scenes during the August 31st trade deadline, bigger contracts are in their future. Of course, Aaron Judge will have to be paid over the next few years, but one other star player is in line to earn a significant deal.
Lead-off hitter DJ LeMahieu, who is currently hitting .356 with a .415 on-base percentage, remains one of the Yankees’ best players. He is on the final year of a two-year deal, and the Yankees will be looking to extend him at the end of the season. However, some could argue that extending him immediately would be beneficial. For LeMahieu, he has career highs in multiple categories, and at 31 years old, he has plenty of good baseball left in his bones.
LeMahieu is capable of playing multiple defensive positions at an elite level, and he’s one of the most consistent hitters the Yankees had in many years. He is currently the sixth-highest paid second baseman in the MLB, averaging $12 million per year, but I believe that price will go up considering his utility value.
Several weeks ago, The Atheltic’s Ken Rosenthal stated regarding DJ LeMahieu:
Free agency obviously is a long way away, but it seems almost inconceivable the Yankees would not re-sign second baseman DJ LeMahieu, one of their best hitters and most admired players – a de facto captain, in the estimation of general manager Brian Cashman. One thing that stands out about LeMahieu, according to one of the Yankees’ coaches: He produces great at-bats even against great pitching. Case in point: His two-run, game-tying homer off Roberto Osuna in the ninth inning of Game 6 in last year’s ALCS. José Altuve’s two-run, walk-off shot off Aroldis Chapman in the bottom half clinched the series for the Astros. But if things had turned out differently, LeMahieu’s homer might be the stuff of legend.
The Yankees are making a mistake, and it is that they haven’t given LeMahieu a blank check to sign. Ensuring his return is a priority, as letting him go would significantly hurt their defense and offensive efficiency. Of course, bolstering the starting rotation is also a necessity with multiple players hitting free agency, but DJ is simply a player that cannot be ignored. He’ll be 32 when he hits free agency during the winter months, but the Yankees might try to increase his pay for a lower year contract.
At his age, the Yankees might be looking to secure him for another three years with a frontloaded salary, but he might be looking for something even longer. That could be the issue they face, but the Yankees must do whatever necessary to retain him.
What a projected contract might look like:
While the Yankees might be trying to keep him for three years, a fourth-year option would also be beneficial. Paying him around $17 million per season is justifiable, which is a major pay increase. Considering he is the team MVP and ranked fourth in MVP voting in 2019, giving him that type of contract is well deserved.