In a move that figured to eventually arrive the moment the New York Yankees signed a 32-year-old infielder to a six-year contract, the club designated DJ LeMahieu for assignment, cutting him loose on July 9 with nearly two years remaining on that deal.
LeMahieu, who turns 37 on July 13, re-signed with the club on a six-year, $90 million deal in January 2021. He was coming off a two-year run with the Yankees during which he batted .336 – including a majors-best .364 during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season – with a .922 OPS and amassed 8.6 WAR.
Given their druthers, the Yankees probably didn’t want to grant a six-year contract at that point, but spreading the $90 million over six years greatly lessened their luxury tax commitment, to just $15 million per year.
But the end came quickly. LeMahieu struggled greatly with injuries during the course of the deal, playing in 150 games just once and seeing his availability shrivel with each passing year, from 136 games played in 2023 to 67 last season and just 45 this year before the Yankees cut bait.
They certainly saw a large enough sample last season, when LeMahieu produced a .204/.269/.259 line and a -1.6 WAR. He found a window for playing time this year when Jazz Chisholm missed time with an oblique injury, but manager Aaron Boone indicated on July 8 that LeMahieu likely would be the odd man out for playing time going forward – and that he didn’t handle it particularly well.
The Yankees will owe LeMahieu roughly $21.6 million – his $15 million salary next season and what’s owed him this year. Despite his struggles, it’s likely LeMahieu will find a new club once he passes through waivers and can be paid the pro-rated league minimum by the acquiring team.
LeMahieu became the first player in the modern era to win batting titles in both leagues, with a .348 average for Colorado in 2016 and .364 for the Yankees in 2020.