The major priority for the New York Yankees heading into the off-season is the retention of star infielder DJ LeMahieu, and that will continue to be a focal point moving forward. Of course, LeMahieu was hit with the qualifying offer, which he rejected.
Ultimately, that means any team that signs DJ he will have to offer up a draft pick as compensation to the Yankees. One team that has entered the fold is the New York Mets, who have a new owner and are preparing to enter the market with a full head of steam.
Cohen stated that he doesn’t care about making money with the Mets, his only desire is to make the team great, letting the professionals get the job done and staying out of their affairs. The former owners were very hands-on and refused to spend money to increase the popularity and quality of the team, but Cohen has an entirely different mentality.
Aside from Cohen’s desire to enter the market in fashion, the Mets learned that second-baseman Robinson Cano, formerly of the Yankees, had tested positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs and that he will be suspended for the entire 2021 season, forfeiting $24 million.
Here’s the official release from the Mets following the incident:
“We were extremely disappointed to be informed about Robinson’s suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program,” Mets president Sandy Alderson said in a statement. “The violation is very unfortunate for him, the organization, our fans, and the sport. The Mets fully support MLB’s efforts toward eliminating performance enhancing substances from the game.”
The Yankees and Mets are preparing for war:
The extra money will undoubtedly open up the possibility of a bidding war for LeMahieu, but the Mets could be targeting a trade for Francisco Lindor at shortstop. The issue — the Mets are capable of trading for Lindor and signing LeMahieu, given the new-found money they have with Cohen’s ownership.
LeMahieu’s value is measured in defensive quality and his proficiency with the bat in his hands. This past season, DJ hit .364 with 10 homers and 27 RBIs. He had a 1.011 OPS and a .590 slugging percentage. Impressively, he also tallied an 8.3% walk rate and struck out just 9.7% of the time, the first time in his career he reached single digits in that category.
Overall, the Mets have an opportunity to add one of the best players in the MLB to the roster, and now they have the luxury of unlimited capital to do so. The Yankees, however, are still inclined to keep him in pinstripes, and recent words from first baseman Luke Voit indicate that DJ wants to stay in the Bronx.
I estimate that there could be a bidding war between the Yankees and Mets, starting off Cohen’s tenure in New York in fashion. The market will forever be changed with this transition of power, and the Yankees better be ready to battle it out in the future financially.