*Photo from the Denver Post*
It appears one of the best position players available on the free agent market is no longer a free agent. 2B DJ Lemahieu and the New York Yankees have agreed to a 6 year deal worth $90 million, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Lemahieu was with the Yankees in 2019 and 2020 after settling on a short term deal, but with two productive seasons with the Yankees, he was able to cash in this time around. The Yankees have confirmed the deal.
Lemahieu had a great season for the Yankees in 2020, hitting .364 with 10 homers and 27 RBI, posting a 1.011 OPS in 50 games played for the Yankees. In his 10 year major league career, Lemahieu is a .305 hitter with a .787 OPS, hitting 85 homers and 478 RBI across 1,150 games in his 10 seasons. Prior to signing with the Yankees, Lemahieu was with the Chicago Cubs for one year, and the Colorado Rockies for 7.
Lemahieu had said on several occasions that he preferred to stay with the Yankees. Despite that, the two sides had been reportedly at least $25 million apart in previous negotiations, and Lemahieu had told his agent group to start reaching out again to other teams who had expressed early interest in him. In the end, the Yankees were willing to give Lemahieu more term, and Lemahieu ended up giving a little money, as he was reportedly initially seeking a 4 year deal worth around $110 million.
Lemahieu will maintain his spot at the top of the order and likely at second base for the Yankees, who have also been reportedly exploring the starting pitcher market, as they do have some uncertainty at the back of the rotation. They had expressed interest in Pirates pitcher Joe Musgrove, and attended Corey Kluber's workout in Florida this week.
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