The New York Yankees want to re-sign second baseman DJ LeMahieu. Not only they realize how great he is (he did, after all, led the team in fWAR the last two seasons and won a batting title in 2020 while playing good defense at the keystone) but if they fail to bring him back, they would have an enormous hole in the infield and lots of pieces to move around to cover for his absence.
However, another painfully evident reality is that the New York Yankees don’t want to break the bank in this offseason. They already did it last year by spending $324 million to bring ace Gerrit Cole, and they want to be more careful this time around after a disastrous 2020 from an economics standpoint.
That’s why it is not a given that the Yankees bring DJ LeMahieu back, especially since he wants to sign a five or six-year contract worth more than nine figures. Per reports, the Bombers want to settle for four years around $20 million per season, but it’s highly unlikely that the talented second sacker puts his signature on that kind of deal knowing that he has several more suitors.
The Yankees probably won’t spend too much this year
Yankees’ TV voice Michael Kay thinks, according to what he has heard, that managing partner Hal Steinbrenner may not want to spend money due to the pandemic causing enormous financial losses.
“Their number one priority, the organization wants to sign DJ LeMahieu,†Kay said Monday on his ESPN radio show. “Now can I sit here and tell you that it’s for whatever cost for how whatever many years? No, I can’t. But that is what they want, and everything else is going to play off of that.
“And from what I’ve heard, if they get LeMahieu — it’s going to cost money — that might be the last big guy they get. So if everybody thinks it’s a fait accompli that Tanaka is coming back, I would really, really not hold my breath. For all you who worry about LeMahieu,†Kay said, “if there’s going be (another team) out there that blows them out of the water, the Yankees are not going to be irresponsible and just match the offer, although they really do want him and they realize how great he is.â€
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