The New York Yankees were busy on Friday, as general manager Brian Cashman inked start infielder DJ LeMahieu to a six-year, $90 million deal. This will pay DJ $15 million per season, coming far under the expected number that was previously reported.
Most believed he would land in the $20-25 million range, but given his age at 32, by the time this contract comes to an end, he will be 38 years old.
Nonetheless, LeMahieu is one of their most important players and won the batting title in 2020 with a .364 average.
The Yankees didn’t finish their moves with LeMahieu, though, as they also avoided arbitration with star slugger Aaron Judge.
As per Bob Nightingale of USA Today, Judge agreed on a $10.175 million deal to avoid arbitration. That fits well with his projected salary for the 2021 season, especially considering he played in just over half of the games in 2020. He finished with a .257 average with nine homers and 22 RBIs.
Aaron Judge and #Yankees settle at $10.175M.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) January 15, 2021
This is a good deal for the Yankees, who now have their two most important players, arguably, coming back in 2021. Hopefully, Judge will move on from the calf injury that plagued him last year and will be able to produce more efficiently and consistently in 2021.