DJ LeMahieu‘s six-year, $90 million deal with the New York Yankees is about to enter its third year. This will be his fifth season in New York, and his salary for the 2023 season is expected to be $15 million. The much-improved contract over an initial two-year deal came well for the Yankees, who continue to remain in awe of LeMahieu’s versatility.
LeMahieu, in particular, contributes not only power but also a great deal of versatility because of his ability to play in a number of different positions and take on a number of different functions. Jon Morosi of MLB Network recently emphasized that calling him “the barometer” of the squad.
LeMahieu’s six-year contract with the Yankees
The Yankees signed LeMahieu as a free agent in 2019, but he quickly became an important part of the team. No one was ready for him to move to New York on a two-year, $24 million deal. Even though he was a decent player in Colorado, his 2017 and 2018 seasons were nothing special. He did win the batting title in 2016 with a BA of .348.
After the 2018 season, his contract was changed because of how well he played. He got a six-year, $90 million deal that increased his annual pay to about $15 million.
DJ LeMahieu’s performance with the Yankees
He’s off to a good start with the Yankees this year, as evidenced by his .250 batting average, two home runs, seven runs batted in, and.826 OPS. Morosi believes the Yankees need the veteran slugger and super utilityman for making the playoffs this year. With talents like Stanton and Harrison Bader on the disabled list, Morosi discussed how the Yankees will build their lineup.
The Yankees can approach this in a variety of ways. The bright side, as Morosi pointed out, is that they can still hit LeMahieu in the middle of the order, especially in the fifth place.
Then he elaborated on why LeMahieu is such an important cog for the Yankees and why he is so often overlooked. Morosi made note of a key statistic showing that if LeMahieu records an RBI, the Yankees have a 70% chance of winning the game.
What they got was a player who was the MVP candidate for two seasons. In the shortened 2020 season, LeMahieu finished in the top four in MVP voting for the second year in a row and won another batting title.
The Yankees are counting on LeMahieu’s versatility, even though he hasn’t been as productive as in his previous two seasons. He can play three or four positions in the infield (first base, third base, second base).
LeMahieu had a batting average of .268 in 2021 and .261 last year. But he still got a Gold Glove, even though he only played for the last two months and missed the playoffs because of a toe injury.
Staying healthy is the key
While LeMahieu’s abilities have not diminished, several of his supporting statistics, notably in the power category, have declined since signing with the Yankees.
LeMahieu has had a lot of injuries over the past few years, including a toe injury that kept him out of action for most of last season. Even though he didn’t need surgery, toe and foot problems can be hard to get rid of.
With two very different contracts approaching the midpoint of LeMahieu’s Yankees stay, his future seems unclear. While his abilities are unlikely to diminish, his health is a worry. Although there is still time for things to work out, the remaining years of his contract look to be hazy at best.
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