These aren’t the days of old when the New York Yankees — and only the New York Yankees — dominate the offseason market.
In fact, they’re not even acting like the biggest team in their city.
As the Mets introduced their newest acquisition in Francisco Lindor on Monday morning, the Yankees look to be pushing away their star veteran infielder, DJ LeMahieu.
According to a report by Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown, the 32-year-old has become “dismayed by the slow-play tactics of the Yankees,” and asked his representation to re-engage with other interested parties including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, and the Mets.
LeMahieu is looking for a massive payday, transcending Josh Donaldson’s four-year, $92 million deal with the Minnesota Twins and closer to JD Martinez’s five-year, $110 million pact with the Boston Red Sox.
It’s easy to see why LeMahieu is looking for such a payday despite being on the other side of his thirties. He’s the reigning American League batting champion after batting .364 with the Yankees in 2020 and over the last two years in the Bronx, slashed .336/.386/.536 (.922 OPS) with 36 home runs and 129 RBI in 195 games.
Of course, this isn’t the best time to be looking for such a deal. The financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been clear on the Yankees — and many other clubs — who have been especially frugal this offseason just a year after signing Gerrit Cole to a record-breaking $324 million deal.
The slow pace of the market has not yielded a major signing yet as center fielder George Springer, starting pitcher Trevor Bauer, and catcher JT Realmuto are also unsigned.
LeMahieu is expected to virtually meet with other interested teams this week, per Brown, as a less-than-inspiring Yankees offseason could very well be on the precipice of taking another turn in the wrong direction.
