Machine needs no Break
DJ back at Stadium, where Boone hopes he’ll be next season
Where else would DJ LeMahieu be on a Wednesday afternoon, five days after his baseball season ended, but at the ballpark. The free agentto-be who the Yankees call “The Machine,” was at Yankee Stadium as the team wrapped up its weird, coronavirus pandemic-shortened 2020 season, but there was no formal discussions about him coming back yet.
“I just saw DJ in here,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in a season wrap-up caIl with reporters Wednesday. “I think I’ve said this a lot over the last couple weeks...if you take a snapshot in the last two years, you can probably count on one hand, how many players have been as good as DJ LeMahieu and how important they’ve been to their team. So, look, we’ll see what happens moving forward. All I can tell you is, he’s been a pleasure to be able to manage and to watch him go out and prepare the way he does, perform the way he does and, in his way, lead the way that he does.
“He’s a special player, a special person and of course we’d love to have him back. But you never know what this offseason is going to bring where it’s going to go,” Boone continued. “All I know is, We’ve been fortunate to have a great player and a great person. At the top of our lineup the last couple years.”
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,” one rival executive told the News last week. “Very complete player, defensive versatility and one of the best right-handed hitters in the game.”
And it’s going to cost more than the $12 million per year that the Yankees are paying him now to keep him. Two rival executives agreed LeMahieu, who won his second batting title in four years this season, 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.
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said Tuesday that he understands how important LeMahieu has been to this team.
“I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t didn’t recognize what a contribution he made to the club and how good of a player he is so I recognize both those things, I’ll leave it at that,” Steinbrenner said on The Michael Kay Show.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman said he missed seeing LeMahieu at the Stadium on Wednesday, but that the infielder’s future will be a priority topic when the team holds its postmortem meetings soon.
GLEYBER AT SHORT, AT LEAST FOR NOW
Gleyber Torres is the Yankees starting shortstop, at least for right now.
The young slugger struggled defensively this season. It was exacerbated in the playoffs, when his mistakes came back on the already exposed pitching staff. Wednesday, in an after-season post-mortem, Cashman said Torres’ success and failure this season will be on the table for discussion.
“Gleyber is our shortstop moving forward and we’re gonna evaluate all circumstances that best fit us,” Cashman said. “I think he’s capable of better defense in this really young year of his career. We will again game plan and discuss with all parties involved and if we feel something is a better way to go, then obviously we’ll discuss that. As of right now whatever we currently have that we have controlled is, what is our best option. And if suggestions come our way from pro scouting or analytics, or development or [the] field manager and immediate coaching staff, and we’ll evaluate those.”
Pretty much by any standard, Torres was a problem at shortstop.
He was tied for the second-most errors by a shortstop in the majors. Fangraphs’ defensive runs saved had him at -9 and Baseball Savant’s Outs Above Average had him at -4. Any way you look at it, Torres cost the Yankees defense runs and gave their pitching staff extra work.
His arm is fine, according to scouts. It’s more about his fielding attempts. His backhand is weak and his routes to ground balls needs work, according to two scouts who watched him this season.
GRADING GARY
Gary Sanchez’s future with the Yankees is a fair question, Yankees Cashman said, The Yankees catcher began the season as the starter and ended up sitting out the majority of the postseason.
“We’ll evaluate that particular position because we’ll be forced to now as we move forward,” Cashman said. He went on to explain the team would have meetings to dissect the season and discuss players. “But, ultimately that will be a subject that we have to discuss as well and it could very well be a change. It could very well be a competition.”
Kyle Higasioka started five of the Yankees’ seven postseason games. He moved into a regular rotation when he became Gerrit Cole’s personal catcher in early September. With some success at the plate and Sanchez struggling, Higashioka basically moved into the role of starter, without the Yankees ever admitting to it.
Sanchez hit .147/.253/.365 with 10 home runs, 24 RBI and 64 strikeouts in 49 games this season. He was benched for his struggles at the plate and over the last month, Sanchez hit .155/.253/.369 with five home runs and 15 RBI. He struck out 30 times and walked in 10 of 95 plate appearances.
There could be some element of the unusual season that was shortened and delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Obviously this COVID season was unique, you saw a lot of unexpected performances throughout both leagues from players that, obviously are capable of more,”
Cashman said. “We have to determine whether this was a byproduct of unique circumstances or more reflection of what is to be expected as we move forward, so we have to have those legitimate discussions that haven’t happened yet. I know Gary Sanchez is an extremely talented player. I know in the offensive side there was, I guess, I would describe it as, I think he swung the bat better than those numbers look. On the defensive side I know he was fully committed to [catching coordinator] Tanner Swanson, and adjusting to Tanner Swanson’s mechanical adjustments that would improve his receiving skills which I think did happen.
“But ultimately, the end result was that the performance wasn’t Gary Sanchez caliber and that obviously allowed Higashioka to come in and do what he did and kind of take control towards the end. “
PRAISING BRITTON
Cashman was full of praise for Zack Britton. Not just because
the Yankees’ lefty set-up man was dominant on the field this season, but as the Yankees players’ union rep, Cashman said Britton was great to deal with as the coronavirus pandemic-shortened season threw curveball after curveball at the Yankees.
“I want to really give a major shout out to Zack Britton,” the Yankees GM said, “who obviously had the higher level of responsibilities as our player rep and the go between with our, ownership and front office on behalf of his union and his teammates and in a time that obviously was really a difficult position I’m sure to be in.”
The Yankees are going to have to very seriously, and very quickly, weigh Britton’s value. He has a unique clause in his contract where the Yankees must pick up a $14 million option for the 2022 season within five days after this year’s World Series finishes. If they don’t, Britton will have the option to opt out of his 2021 deal with the Yanks worth $13 million.
It makes sense the Yankees would pick up the option. He pitched to a 1.89 ERA in 19 innings over 20 appearances. While Aroldis Chapman sat out with COVID-19, Britton went 8-for-8 in save opportunities
DOMINGO’S FUTURE
Domingo German, who missed the season serving a suspension under the MLB/MLBPA joint domestic violence policy, still has to meet with the Yankees about his future. Tuesday, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said they wanted to see that German understood the severity of what happened and has dealt with it appropriately.
“Clearly this winter, now that he’s off the suspension, and when things can ease up, we obviously are looking forward to re-engaging Domingo German and getting a sense of where he’s at, both in a personal, as well as, professional way,” Yankees GM Brian Cashman said Wednesday. “So we certainly hope all is well with him and his family, but that is an evolving situation.”