The New York Yankees made re-signing All-MLB infielder DJ LeMahieu their biggest priority in the offseason, but it appears this will be a much harder task than the organization expected.
According to multiple reports, the Yankees and LeMahieu are far from being on the same page, and the negotiations are currently going nowhere. The team is reportedly offering a four-year, $75 million contract while the player wants a five-year deal worth $100 million.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, on the other hand, recently reported that the gap between the two sides is even bigger than $25 million. According to Rosenthal, the two sides are committed to continuing the talks, but LeMahieu is now open to negotiating with other teams as well.
LeMahieu previously rejected the Yankees’ $18.5 million qualifying offer, which means that the team will be entitled to a draft compensation if he leaves New York.
There will definitely be a big market for DJ LeMahieu if he decides to explore other offers. He is coming off a productive 2020 that saw him batting a career-high .364 while hitting 10 home runs with 27 RBIs.
LeMahieu, who spent most of his MLB career with the Colorado Rockies before signing with Yankees in 2019, has a career .305 batting average with 85 home runs, 478 RBIs, and 83 stolen bases. He has three All-Star nods under his belt and has won the Silver Slugger Award twice.
