The Yankees agreed to negotiate with two high-profile players on Friday. They started the day off by agreeing with their own free agent, the infielder DJ LeMahieu, in a $ 90MM six-year contract. At night, they left the organization to add righties Corey Kluber. Unsurprisingly, this was a much shorter deal, with Kluber going to the Bronx for a single year for $ 11 million.
LeMahieu’s contract came just above pre-season expectations. Entering winter, the MLBTR predicted a value of $ 68 million over four years for the reigning AL MVP finalist. LeMahieu surpassed that mark by more than $ 20 million, albeit for another two years. The six-year term is undoubtedly a luxury tax alternative. (Teams ‘luxury tax values are calculated using the average annual value of a contract, so extending the deal for another year reduces the impact of the Yankees’ luxury tax per season.)
Kluber, on the other hand, fell well in line with the MLBTR forecast (one year, $ 12 million). Cy Young’s two-time winner is somewhat of a wild card after launching just 36.2 combined entries in the past two seasons. But he generally impressed the teams at a showcase earlier this week and has an atypical level of advantage to add to that price level.
How does the reader feel about the Yankees’ recent acquisitions?
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