5 bold predictions for the Yankees in MLB free agency
1. The Yankees will give D.J. LeMahieu five years
There can be no debate that the Yankees’ top offseason priority is finding a way to retain D.J. LeMahieu. He’s arguably the most important infielder the team has employed since Derek Jeter’s retirement.
The franchise will do everything they can to avoid giving in to all of his free agent demands. The team is wary of overcommitting to LeMahieu in terms of both years and dollars. At the moment, he badly wants a five-year deal while the Yankees would prefer to limit any agreement to three or four additional seasons.
The good news for Cashman is that LeMahieu’s salary demands don’t seem to be exorbitant. He isn’t looking to blow away the market by making $30 million per season. He wants a significant raise over the two-year, $24 million deal he signed with the Yankees originally, but an agreement paying him $20 million could be enough to secure his return.
Projecting the Yankees' 2021 starting rotation. dark. Next
Look for the Yankees to capitulate and give LeMahieu the length of deal he’s looking for in exchange for him being reasonable about the average annual value. A five-year, $100 million deal should satisfy Cashman and the crucial free agent. The Yankees likely would have been OK giving him that kind of cash in a four-year pact, stretching it one more season will be an acceptable compromise for the Yankees.