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Did the Yankees do too good a job selling DJ LeMahieu not only on themselves, but also on New York?
Could Steve Cohen pull the same, “Thanks for proving yourself elsewhere, we’ll take it from here” that the Yankees have deployed countless times on great free agents?
The most likely scenario remains that The Machine, currently a free agent, re-ups with the Yankees, with whom he has been so successful in 2019 and 2020 that he has proclaimed his desire to stay. Still, the 32-year-old prefers to stay in the New York area so definitely, an industry source said, that the Mets sit second on his roster.
The Mets’ level of interest in LeMahieu remains uncertain, although they earned $ 20.25 million in 2021 payroll flexibility on Wednesday with news that ex-Yankee Robinson Cano has tested positive for Stanozolol and will be suspended for the whole of next season. Cohen, who just completed his purchase of the Mets from the Wilpons earlier this month, tweeted on Wednesday that the newly found money would be used “on the players.” This man is a social media genius.
The Blue Jays are also on LeMahieu, although they are at a geographic disadvantage.
The Yankees and LeMahieu have not advanced very far in their discussions to date, according to several sources. LeMahieu turned down the Yankees’ qualifying offer, which would have paid him $ 18.9 million for one year, and he owes a significant increase in the $ 24 million pact he signed with the Yankees in January 2019.
Third baseman Josh Donaldson, who signed a four-year, $ 92 million contract with the Twins in January, is obvious, even if he’s flawed. Donaldson was entering his 34-year-old season, while LeMahieu will be a 32-year-old next year; On the other hand, Donaldson had compiled a stronger record than LeMahieu. The new coronavirus, however, limited Major League Baseball to 60 regular season games without paying fans in the last campaign and threatens next season’s earnings. Hence the methodical approach of the Yankees to re-sign LeMahieu. Slow play is in vogue throughout the industry.
Cohen, who didn’t suffer major baseball losses last year as a mere minority owner of the Mets (and instantly became the richest owner in the game), could afford to offer a type deal. Donaldson in LeMahieu. Nonetheless, he vowed at his introductory press conference last week that he wouldn’t come across as a “drunk sailor,” and the Mets’ off-season discussions so far have focused on improving the receiver, of the central field and their starting rotation. The absence of baseman Cano’s designated second hitter effectively eliminates a roster block, in which the Mets could (if they choose) move Jeff McNeil to second, clearing left field for Brandon Nimmo’s. he is replaced by a free agent (most likely George Springer or Jackie Bradley Jr.), makes Dom Smith the full-time first baseman and Pete Alonso the full-time designated hitter, as long as the National League brings back the DH.
Additionally, Cano will return to the Mets roster and payroll in 2022 (unless he fails a third drug test), and the Mets will owe him $ 20.25 million in 2022 and 2023. , with the Mariners recovering the remaining $ 3.75 million each year. So if Cohen honors his words about spending with a certain level of discipline, he might not be inclined to capitalize on the money he finds for a year with a multi-year commitment.
The Yankees face actions beyond retention of LeMahieu. They lost three starting pitchers (JA Happ, James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka), as well as outfielder Brett Gardner, to free agency. They must also decide to keep Gleyber Torres on shortstop and Gary Sanchez on receiver.
Their main focus, however, is still to bring LeMahieu back, and really, if that effort fails, wouldn’t they rather see LeMahieu on the Mets than in their own division with the Blue Jays? The Yankees certainly don’t want to consider such a dilemma. If the Mets start to take LeMahieu more seriously, then the Yankees may have to pay their best player of the past two years more than they had hoped to avoid such contemplation.
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