LeMahieu has proven worth to the Yankees
But his future with the team isn’t written in stone
SAN DIEGO — It was a signing that had everyone scratching their heads. When DJ LeMahieu signed with the Yankees in December 2018, it did not seem like a god fit. He was a second baseman and the Yankees had Gleyber Torres. There were concerns about his offensive number, which were impressive, but also came with the bias of having done it at Coors Field.
Almost two years later, it’s hard to imagine where the Yankees would be without LeMahieu — but they may have to.
LeMahieu’s two-year, $24 million contract will be up and he’ll become a free agent after this season. That deal is a bargain compared to what he will command on the free agent market. While he’s stated he’d like to stay with the Yankees, there has been no talks yet this year.
“We’ve communicated in the past that we’re going to worry about after the season,” LeMahieu said of any extension talks between his agent and the Yankees.
One rival executive said LeMahieu will be a very hot commodity this winter, even though the market will be down because of the financial losses from the coronavirus pandemic-shortened season.
“I think he gets paid without the ‘Covid tax,’ only a handful will,” the exec said. “Very complete player, defensive versatility andone of the best right-handed hitters in the game.”
And it’s going to cost more than the $12 million per year the Yankees are paying him now to keep him. Two rival executives agreed LeMahieu will get $20 million per year somewhere.
LeMahieu said he has had his two best seasons as a Yankee. The numbers back him up. In 195 games as a Yankee, LeMahieu hit .336/.386/.536 with 43 doubles, four triples and 36 home runs — ironically he had just 40 in seven years with the Rockies. He scored 150 runs in 195 games and drove in 129.
Even that doesn’t capture what he has meant to this team.
“I think if you add up the last two years in MajorLeagueBaseball, he’s ontheshortest of shortlist for being the best player in the sport,” Aaron Boone said. “He’s been that impactful. Whereishethemostimpactful? I don’t know.
“I mean, obviously as good as he is defensively as an infielder for us, and obviously the flexibility he provides us, especially during the regular season where he does actually move around a little bit more, is invaluable,” the Yankees manager continued. “But I mean to be who he has been at the top of our lineup, a guy that gets on over 40% of the time, has hit for power in the biggest moments and always seems to deliver. He’s just been a great player for us.”
LeMahieu’s already written his name into the Yankees’ history books.
He is coming off a regular season in which he wonhis second career batting title in 2020 with a career-high batting average of .364. He also won the National League title while with the Rockies in 2016, hitting .348. He is the second player in Major League history to win the batting title in both leagues and the only in the modern era, according to Elias.