After a period of months of descent, the Yankees are closing a new contract with the second baseman DJ LeMahieu, reports Jon Morosi of MLB.com (via Twitter) The terms of the potential agreement are not yet known, but the deal could be concluded today, according to Morosi. LeMahieu is represented by Wasserman.
LeMahieu, 32, was the Yankees’ top priority throughout the season. General manager Brian Cashman acknowledged this a few weeks ago, but the club has also apparently let LeMahieu explore its options on the open market, instead of emulating the old Yankees and simply writing a blank check. The interest between the two parties was mutual and it has long been clear that the Yankees would have the opportunity to match any offer LeMahieu received elsewhere. The impending meeting will certainly be priced higher than your initial business, which proved to be a bargain; reports recently suggested that LeMahieu has been looking at the top Josh Donaldsonthe four-year contract, $ 92 million – preferably in a five-year contract.
The focus on LeMahieu is more than understandable to the Yankees, who looked like a weird player to the longtime Rockies’ second baseman two years ago when he signed a $ 24 million contract for two years to come to the Bronx. The Yankees already boasted a relatively full infield, but LeMahieu’s injuries and immediate and best production in his career quickly pushed him into regular managerial work. Aaron Booneescalation of. The versatile LeMahieu registered action not only in second base, but also in the corners of the infield, emerging not only as the most productive hitter of the Yankees at that time, but also as a legitimate MVP candidate in the American League.
During his two seasons in New York, LeMahieu achieved an excellent .336 / .386 / .536 hitting line – including a .364 / .421 / .590 superhuman line in the 2020 truncated season. This display of 0.364 marked the the second time in his career that LeMahieu led the league on average – he won a hitting title with the 2016 Rockies too – but he never mustered that kind of strength until he landed in New York. Yankee Stadium has proven to be the perfect choice for LeMahieu, who has led the Majors on home runs on opposite fields for the past few seasons, after making the most of the small entrance to his new stadium on the right field.
This is not to slow LeMahieu’s production with the Yankees, of course. He remains one of the toughest hitting players in all of baseball, thanks to his superlative bat and ball skills, and LeMahieu has increased his strong hitting rate and outgoing speeds since his days at Coors Field. LeMahieu’s 12.7 percent strikeout rate is the seventh lowest in all baseball among qualified hitters in the past two seasons, and he has the eighth lowest strikeout rate of any Majors player at that time.
A reunion with the Yankees means that LeMahieu will remain the second baseman, with Gleyber Torres reprising his role on the shortstop. There have been many doubts about Torres’ ability to become a strong or even average defender on the shortstop after a couple of seasons punctuated by mistakes, but the club has publicly expressed confidence that Torres is up to the challenge.
LeMahieu and Torres, then, will be singled out as the Yankees’ double game in the near future, with Gio Urshela and Luke Voit holding the corners of the inner field. That still leaves the ex-Rookie of the Year runner-up Miguel Andujar without a clear path for day-to-day hitting, although he still has a remaining secondary league option and can also be worked on as a frequently used substitute, saving time on the third, first and left.
More to come.