The New York Yankees rarely find themselves on the losing end of a bidding war, but dollar signs could prove to be the main reason one of their best all-around players leaves the Bronx.
It appears the Yankees and free agent D.J. LeMahieu currently aren’t seeing eye-to-eye in their contract negotiations. In fact, New York and the three-time All-Star reportedly are off by $25 million, according to NJ.com’s Brendan Kuty. Kuty reports Mahieu covets a five-year, $100 million deal, while the Yankees are sitting at $75 million over four years.
Speculation of LeMahieu finding a new team seems to be growing by the day. While the Bronx Bombers were the clear favorite for LeMahieu’s services for some time, a report earlier this week indicated the versatile veteran has a robust market that might even include the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
LeMahieu isn’t in a position to take even a slight degree of a discount. He settled for a two-year, $24 million deal with the Yankees ahead of the 2019 campaign following a very productive seven-year run with the Colorado Rockies. LeMahieu will turn 33 in July, so this very well could be his last chance to land a long-term, lucrative deal.
The 10-year pro could be a fit with virtually any team. LeMahieu can play every position in the infield and even a little outfield. He’s also one of the best contact hitters in the big leagues, having hit .300 or better in five of his last six seasons.
