The New York Yankees and star infielder DJ LeMahieu have been negotiating a contract extension for weeks now, but things have hit a snag as the player side wants a five-year contract and the Yankees want to stay four years and below.
Considering the Yankees are tied up in multiple contracts over five years with Giancarlo Stanton, Gerrit Cole, and Aaron Hicks, staying on the safer side is undoubtedly a lust.
With LeMahieu’s preferred contract, he would finish at 37 years old in 2025. However, if there’s anyone worth the length and money of this deal, it’s DJ.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman commented on the negotiation process but didn’t sound too optimistic things would conclude soon.
“We’re going to try to keep him here,” Cashman said. “He loves playing in New York, loves playing for the New York Yankees and our fan base, and he clearly loves his teammates. There’s a lot of things in our favor, but ultimately, it comes down to the financial opportunity that we provide, as measured to the financial opportunities that others are providing.”
The Yankees are willing to spend $20 million per season for his services, but managing partner Hal Steinbrenner made it known that the Yankees suffered extreme losses this past season and are trying to stay beneath the $210 million luxury tax threshold.
Better coaching and analytical usage should allow the Yankees to extract the most out of their players, but that simply isn’t the case. They lack pitching and relief arms but have the offense to get it done.
From the way Cashman is presenting his opinion on the DJ extension, it seems as if they have a price point they need to stick to and are unwilling to budge. The next few weeks should be interesting, and I’m starting to believe the Yankees might lose out on their best player.