LeMAHIEU, YANKEES AGREE TO $24M, 2-YEAR DEAL

Gold Glove-winning free-agent second baseman D.J. LeMahieu and the Yankees have agreed to a US$24 million, two-year contract, a deal that would appear to eliminate New York as a destination for Manny Machado. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Friday because no agreement had been announced. The 30-year-old LeMahieu spent the previous eight seasons with Colorado at hitter-friendly Coors Field and won the NL batting title in 2016 with a .348 average. He hit .276 last year with 15 homers and 62 RBIs, and he won his second straight Gold Glove and third overall. Also Friday, outfielder Aaron Hicks agreed to a $6 million, one-year contract that avoided arbitration and more than doubled his salary from US$2,825,000.