NFL
By: Billy Lewis
The New York Yankees and DJ LeMahieu have agreed on a six-year $90 million deal.
Second baseman DJ LeMahieu and the New York Yankees are finalizing a six-year, $90M contract, sources familiar with the agreement tell ESPN.
LeMahieu’s return to New York always felt inevitable. It took a while. But he wanted to be there and Yankees get top free agent target.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 15, 2021
As Passan mentioned, the return felt inevitable. The length of the contract was the sticking point during negotiations. Early on the Yankees wanted to offer LeMahieu four years, but he was shooting for a five-year deal, around $100 million.
The final deal looks like LeMahieu gave up some money, while the Yankees added an extra year. He will make on average $15 million a year, so not quite the $20-25 million he was looking for. Instead, he opted for the extra guaranteed years on the contract.
LeMahieu should age gracefully as a player. He doesn’t rely on power for his production and is a great all-around hitter. He’s also a gold glove caliber defender, so I wouldn’t expect his defense to fall off a cliff as the years go on either.
LeMahieu then What?
We still have around two and a half months until Opening Day is scheduled. The Yankees offseason should not be anywhere near complete. LeMahieu makes sense as the first domino, but the Yankees will need to strengthen their rotation. Right now Gerrit Cole is followed by a lot of question marks.
Two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber, threw in front of scouts earlier this week. Kluber could be a fairly low risk, high reward type of signing. Of course, Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake is from the Indian organization and is familiar with Kluber. There will be a competition to sign Kluber, but it will be one that could behoove the Yankees to win.
Source: Corey Kluber talks are intensifying and there is an increasing likelihood that he will sign with an @MLB team by Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Kluber’s throwing session this week was well-attended by team execs and scouts. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 15, 2021
LeMahieu’s signing is a good first step in the offseason. The Yankees still have some work to do to solidify their World Series ambitions.
