Michael Kay looked like many in the Yankees universe.
He couldn’t believe the big deal New York did for free agent DJ LeMahieu, the second baseman.
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Kay, during his ESPN radio show, said he was “shocked” that the Yankees were able to sign the 32-year-old again for $ 90 million in six years. The sides reached an agreement on Friday morning.
“Now, think about why I say shocked,” said Kay, who is also the main player for the YES Network Yankees. “DJ LeMahieu won the batting title last year. DJ LeMahieu finished in the top five in the MVP (race) in the two years he played for the Yankees. And in the two years he played for the Yankees, he signed a $ 24 million contract for two years. So, you do the math. Again, it’s $ 12 million a year. So, for being one of the best baseball players – great defender, great base runner, clutch hitter, even in the postseason, what the Yankees lacked. DJ LeMahieu managed to raise $ 3 million. Think about it. Because just by accepting the offer that the Yankees gave him for arbitration, he would have received something close to $ 19 million for just one year. So the Yankees got one of the best baseball players for $ 15 million a year. “
LeMahieu finished third in the AL MVP vote in 2020. In 2019, he finished fourth.
Kay praised the Yankees’ ability to reduce LeMahieu’s average annual value – which relates to the luxury tax limit – so that they could spend elsewhere without incurring penalties. The Yankees want to stay below the $ 210 million mark this season.
On Friday morning, they had also discussed a potential one-year pact with starting pitcher Corey Kluber, and did not rule out a reunion with Masahiro Tanaka.
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