The New York Yankees have made it their number one priority is to re-sign DJ LeMahieu. Many thought that the two were pretty close in the negotiations, but that may not be the case. The Yankees were hoping to sign him for three years at $75 million, but LeMahieu wanted a five-year deal at $100 million. Either we were deceived, or Lemahieu has upped the deal. He now wants five years at $125 million, putting them two years and $50 million apart.
Yankee fans and writers alike are getting tired of reporting on the negotiations that now have dragged on for two months. But this new wrinkle adds a new dimension to the talks that make it less clear that the Yankees will sign LeMahieu. The New York Yankees are coming off a season that many say they have lost more money than any team in baseball, with the loss of revenues caused by no fans in the stands and lost revenue from television. It appears that LeMahieu, who has said he likes playing in New York, is testing the market even further.
The Yankees have a considerable amount off their 2020 payroll of $240 million with the loss of Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, and J.A. Happ to free agency. That alone gives the Yankees about $52 Million to spend if they maintain the same payroll. Still, Yankee owner Hal Steinbrenner has said that due to the uncertainty of the 2021 season, he wants to stay below the luxury tax threshold of $210 million. (Last year, the Yankees paid over $24 million in luxury taxes). In actuality, that leaves only $30 to $35 million for the Yankees to spend on all their needs, including rebuilding the starting rotation and the bullpen. This new demand means that if they cave to LeMahieu’s demands, they will have nearly nothing to accomplish their other needs.
LeMahieu may be pushing his demands further than the Yankees can afford and further than even opposition teams will be willing to pay in this depressed offseason. Other teams have expressed an interest in the batting title winner, including the Toronto Blue Jays, who seem to be the major competitor for his services. But even the Blue Jays may not be willing to go this far to sign him. Only time will tell, but the Yankees can’t wait to sign the star with the many needs they face.
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Bob Klapisch of NJ Advance Media reports that DJÂ LeMahieu’s asking price in contract talks with the Yankees has been five years and $125 million.
It’s a notable jump from the five-year, $100 million ask Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported last week. Klapisch’s colleague, Brendan Kuty, has reported that LeMahieu and the Yanks are more than $25 million apart in their negotiations, with Klapisch saying the team “isn’t budging” because “no one in the organization wants to commit to a fifth-year” and “the Yankees would be bidding against themselves.” Obviously, some work needs to be done to bridge the gap, but LeMahieu ultimately re-signing still seems to be the likely scenario.
The New York Yankees need a starting pitcher to hold down the middle of their pitching rotation, possibly a number two starter. They also need bullpen help due to the loss of Tommy Kahnle to Tommy John surgery. Those additions will be costly. The Yankees have already decided they will not have an upgrade to their backstop position, keeping the struggling Gary Sanchez as their season starting catcher. It is also likely they will keep Gleyber Torres as a shortstop. But besides pitching upgrades, they also have arbitration-eligible players that will cost them before the start of the 2021 season.These new LeMahie demands may mean instead of negotiations in the future; they will go sideways as the New York Yankees look more seriously to an alternative to signing LeMahieu. This offseason, there is a huge number of unsigned free agents out there for the Yankees to choose from, granted they may not be of DJ LeMahieus caliber, but it will remain to be seen if DJ has overplayed his cards, and the Yankees will move on from him.
