New York Yankees: DJ LeMahieu finalizing a deal to stay in New York
The New York Yankees are close to finalizing a deal to re-sign DJ LeMahieu.
If you’re a New York Yankees fan, you probably woke up to news on Friday morning that made Jan. 15 seem like Christmas morning. According to sources, the Yankees are close to finalizing a deal to re-sign superstar second baseman DJ LeMahieu.
MLB.com reporters Jon Morosi and Mark Feinsand first reported the news early Friday morning, while the Yankees have yet to comment.
Source: DJ LeMahieu is finalizing an agreement to return to the #Yankees. The deal could be completed as soon as today. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 15, 2021
Heading into the offseason, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and his staff made it clear that re-signing LeMahieu was the No. 1 priority. At the beginning of this saga, it seemed like an easy decision. New York has the budget to afford LeMahieu while both sides just needed to agree on an appropriate contract length.
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Perhaps intensified by the impatience of Yankees fans when the calendar turned to 2021 and a deal had yet to be finalized, things began feeling uneasy in New York. In fact, earlier this week, it was reported that LeMahieu and his camp had grown impatient with the process of these negotiations.
Well, rest easy Yankees fans. No figures of the deal have been released, but Morosi reports the deal could be finalized as early as Friday afternoon.
LeMahieu has been vital to the Yankees’ success during his two-year run in New York. Since 2019, the 32-year-old second baseman has appeared in 195 games while the team has rattled off 136 wins in that time. One of the best contact hitters in baseball, LeMahieu saw his name etched in the MLB history books this season.
After leading with a .364 batting average during last year’s shortened campaign, LeMahieu became the first player in league history to win an undisputed batting title in both the NL and AL. Of course, LeMahieu previously won the MLB batting title while a member of the Colorado Rockies in 2016.
DJ LeMahieu is here to stay 💙 pic.twitter.com/FQllUXPylV
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) January 15, 2021
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Once finalized, New York can officially check its No. 1 offseason priority off the list. Then, the attention can turn to other areas of need including starting pitching and bullpen depth.