What DJ LeMahieu’s contract means for the Yankees moving forward?
Brian Cashman has pushed over the fist domino in the Yankees 2021 off-season. DJ LeMahieu is going to be in pinstripes for the next six years. The Yankees were very vocal that they wanted LeMahieu to stay, so it’s no surprise a deal eventually got done. There are only a few weeks until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training and Cashman still has decisions to make on the 2021 roster. Aside from this year, this deal could effect the infield for years to come.
First, they need to fill out the rest of the 2021 roster. The deal is reported to hold a AAV of $15 million. This is only a $3 million raise from his last contract. This helps out the Yankees with their goal of staying under the luxury tax ($210 million). Spotrac is reporting that this deal it will leave the Yankees with about $10 million under the tax.
Cashman will now turn his attention to the starting roster. They desperately need to make a move. With only $10 million to work with this knocks the Yankees out of any pipe dream involving Trevor Bauer. It also likely means they will officially move on from James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka, both are looking for more than $10 million a year.
The current hype train is around Corey Kluber. Kluber threw a showcase this week and impressed multiple teams. The former Cy Young winner is looking for a one- year prove it deal and signing that deal with the Yankees makes the most sense for both sides. A $5 million base salary with incentives to go to $8–10 million likely gets it done. The market for Kluber is moving fast.
Another move the Yankees should consider is trading Miguel Andujar. He is not an option at 3B and the Yankees have plenty of options in LF that are better defensively. His bat will always be a threat and it is likely that the DH will be in the NL for 2021. This should open up his market a little. If the Yankees wanted to clear some additional dollars then a package of Andujar and Adam Ottavino makes sense. This could open up money to sign another SP or they could get one back in the trade. Either way the Yankees and Andujar should split, it will be better for both sides.
It just feels like Cashman is setting up a big trade. We just have to wait for it to happen.
The 2021 infield is set. DJ LeMahieu will be the starting second baseman with Gleyber Torres as the starting shortstop. The Yankees hope this will be the double play duo for years to come. This deal puts a lot of faith in Torres to improve on his rough 2020 season.
Entering the year, some fans including myself thought Torres could be involved in the MVP discussion. He was coming off his first full year in the Majors and crushed 38 home runs with ease. His offense took a step back in the shortened season in which he battled injuries and reportedly came to Spring Training 2.0 out of shape. His swing and approach improved once he came off the IL in September so there is hope that the weird start-stop of the MLB season will prove to be the reason for Torres’ slow start.
More importantly for the Yankees will be Gleyber’s defense. He did not impress in the field after the Yankees let sure-handed Didi Gregorius leave via free agency. He was the worst SS in the league in terms of Defensive Runs saved (-9) and fielding percentage.
If Gleyber is unable to improve at SS then the Yankees will need to replace him. That will likely mean moving him back to second base or even trading him. Luckily, LeMahieu’s ability to move all around the infield will give the Yankees options going forward. The 2021 Free Agent class is loaded with SS even if we don’t count Francisco Lindor, who will likely sign long term with the Mets. Trevor Story, Javy Beaz, Carlos Correa and Corey Seager are all eligible for FA after the season. The Yankees would like Torres to turn into the long term SS but there will be options moving forward. If the Yankees lost LeMahieu, Cashman might have pivoted to one of the aforementioned players via trade but for now Gleyber gets another shot.
If something like this were to happen then what would the future hold for Luke Voit? Sadly, I do not see this ending well for Voit. Even if Gleyber remains at SS long term, the final years of LeMahieu’s playing days are likely to be at first base. Voit is due for a nice raise this season, likely around $5-6 million, and he does not reach Free Agency until after the 2024 season. If the Yankees let it all play out, Voit will be a FA at age 34 and LeMahieu will be 36. It is hard to see how Voit gets a long term deal in New York. If things do go poorly for Gleyber, Voit might find himself on the trading block in the next year or so opening up first for LeMahieu.
The same could be said about third baseman Gio Urshela who is the same age as Voit but reaches free agency a year earlier. LeMahieu can transition over to third if needed but Urshela’s defense is better than Voit’s so he has the upper hand long term. Similar to Voit, it is hard to see Urshela securing a long term deal with the Yankees. The Yankees are better off letting them play through arbitration and seeing what happens. Ideally, both continue to play at a high level but it is easy to see that they might be out of pinstripes sooner than we would like.
A third option could be that Torres moves over on the left side. There was talk Gleyber becoming a third baseman to help him get the the Majors sooner. It is very possible that while Gleyber and LeMahieu are the double play tandem right now, they both could be playing the corners with a new unknown tandem playing between them but the time LeMahieu’s contract is over.
Thoughts? Let me hear them on Twitter @Angelsteve89
