Yankees can’t afford to lose DJ LeMahieu in MLB free agency
Re-signing DJ LeMahieu must be the Yankees’ top priority in free agency. Anything less would be a front office disaster for Brian Cashman and his staff.
DJ LeMahieu wasn’t a high-profile signing for the Yankees when he arrived in the Bronx two seasons ago. He’s blossomed into a superstar during his time in New York. The Yankees must do what needs to be done to prevent him from leaving in free agency.
Keeping the AL batting champion is going to be expensive for Brian Cashman and his front office. The good news for Yankees fans is that agreeing on compensation looks like the only real hurdle standing between the team and LeMahieu agreeing to a contract extension. The player recently told the media that his preference is to “stay” with the team moving forward.
On the other hand, LeMahieu will be looking for a significant raise over the two-year, $24 million deal he signed with the Yankees when he left the Rockies. LeMahieu and his representatives will push the Yankees hard in negotiations. Look for both the length of the contract and the average annual salary to be important negotiating points.
Is LeMahieu’s age going to be a factor?
Gauging LeMahieu’s value on the open market is difficult. It’s important to note that he’s already 32-years-old. He isn’t showing the slightest sign of any age-related regression at the moment, but it’s reasonable to expect his performance to decline over the course of his next contract.
The challenge for the Yankees will be projecting just how sharp that decline might be. His offensive production should remain steady for at least three more seasons. LeMahieu has some power, but his real skill is using his outstanding hand-eye coordination to put the ball in play with solid contact at a staggering rate. LeMahieu’s ability to hit for a high average is also hugely valuable for a Yankee lineup that features a ton of swing-and-miss sluggers.
It’s likely that LeMahieu’s age is going to show up more on defense. Right now, there’s a solid case to be made that he’s the team’s best defensive infielder. That’s certainly the case at both second and first base. The loss of some range at second might start to erode his defensive value there pretty quickly.
LeMahieu is an excellent defensive first baseman, but the Yankees want to continue to get Luke Voit regular at-bats. Voit can only be deployed at first base or as a designated hitter. That reduces the value LeMahieu can provide the team at first.
The Yankees front office understands that LeMahieu’s value is going to decline over the course of his next contract. That will prevent his contract from getting out of hand in terms of years or dollars.
So what sort of deal with the Yankees need to offer?
Jose Altuve is currently MLB’s highest-paid second baseman with an average annual salary of $29 million. LeMahieu isn’t going to rival that figure due to his age. His representatives might ask for that kind of salary to open negotiations, but Cashman and the Yankees front office will quickly move them off that number.
He will, as stated earlier, get more than his current salary of $12 million per season. The trick for the Yankees front office will be to find the number in the middle that works.
That’s why the number of years in the deal is also going to be extremely important. The Yankees will offer LeMahieu more average annual salary in a two-year deal than they would be willing to offer in a four-year pact. The team might prefer a two-year, $50 million contract over a four-year, $80 million deal even though it would represent a higher annual salary.
Again, look for New York to try to split the difference here as well. LeMahieu and his representatives might ask for a five-year deal initially. The Yankees aren’t going to go that far. Paying LeMahieu big money in his age-37 season could really come back to haunt the team’s payroll in the future.
Look for a four-year deal to be the biggest sticking point in the deal. The Yankees will ultimately relent on this point to get a deal done. That decision should also give New York a small break in terms of the money due to LeMahieu on an annual basis.
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The final projection here is that LeMahieu will re-sign with the Yankees. A four-year, $85 million deal feels fair for everyone involved. That will keep LeMahieu with the team throughout the remainder of his prime while also securing him a significant raise. It will be an expensive deal for the Yankees, but they can’t afford to let LeMahieu leave.