Just a few days before Christmas and Yankee fans still have not received their gift: A multi-year deal for DJ LeMahieu. Everyone is talking about it. Could the Yankees even contend for the championship without LeMahieu? Is DJ LeMahieu worth it? Is Brian Cashman serious when he says that he is focused on a deal with the infielder? But the NY Times on Saturday escalated this to, "LeMahieu, 32, has become an indispensable Yankee, and the team’s off-season plans center on him."
"Speaking on a video conference call, Cashman said the Yankees had done their homework on alternative options in the free-agent and trade markets. “But anything that’s come off the board before today came off the board because I’m willing to wait to hopefully find a way to navigate a negotiation successfully with D.J. LeMahieu,” he said," as reported by the Times.
If this doesn't express how much LeMahieu means to the Yankees as an organization focused on winning, then nothing does. This means that they will forgo pitchers like Trevor Bauer and let White Sox Catcher James McCann slip by as well, as he is headed to the Mets. This also means that Masahiro Tanaka is not the highest priority and he could land himself another team as well.
I am pleased that the Yankees have expressed this level of commitment toward signing LeMahieu and probably will only have a few bucks left over for a pitcher. According to the New York Post, "If the Yankees re-sign LeMahieu, expect them to find a starting pitcher in free agency or trade for less than $10 million in 2021. If they don’t sign LeMahieu, the Yankees can apply more money to the area, but will then also have to address the middle infield."
The Yankees are demonstrating, at least to me, that LeMahieu is a key fixture in their road to 28, thereby making him indispensable. But could putting so much faith in LeMahieu, change him? Well, that is a story for another day. Let's get LeMahieu first and then provide him the support he needs to do his job, effectively.
--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
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