When the Yankees signed DJ LeMahieu to a six-year, $90 million contract prior to the 2021 season following an impressively successful first two years in pinstripes, many around the fanbase applauded the move. Not only was the organization retaining the team MVP from the previous two seasons but they were doing so across a longer term, tacking on that extra year to reduce his luxury tax hit, ostensibly freeing up more money to be invested in the payroll. However, more than a few people warned of the pitfalls of signing someone already well into their thirties to a contract that would take him through his age-37 season.
Indeed, those fears are being realized. The Yankees owe LeMahieu $30 million over the next two seasons, and as the 2024 season demonstrated, the former Gold Glover and batting champion is no longer an MLB-caliber player. The question is now no longer how they can squeeze any remaining value out of the veteran, but rather how much they can avoid having to play him.
His season started on an inauspicious note, LeMehieu suffering a non-displaced fracture after fouling a ball off his right foot during spring training, and that proved a harbinger of things to come for the rest of the season. He ended up missing the first two months of the campaign, not making his season debut until May 28th, and never rediscovered his hitting ability. To say that LeMahieu was one of the worst hitting position players in baseball in 2024 is no exaggeration.
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