DJ LeMahieu Signs with the Yankees (2019)

Nobody threw a parade for this one. On January 11, 2019, the Yankees agreed to a two-year, $24 million contract with free agent infielder DJ LeMahieu, fresh off a down year in Colorado. The deal became official three days later, on January 14, when the Yankees designated outfielder Tim Locastro for assignment to clear a roster spot. Twelve million a year for a second baseman who'd just hit .276. Fine, whatever, the fan base said, and went back to obsessing over Manny Machado. That reaction turned out to be one of the worst reads in recent Yankees history. (In fairness, nobody could've known. That's kind of the point.)

Filling a Hole Nobody Wanted to Talk About

Here's the context that made this signing necessary in the first place: Didi Gregorius blew out his throwing elbow in Game 1 of the 2018 ALDS against Boston, and that October the Yankees announced he'd need Tommy John surgery -- an injury that was going to cost him the start of 2019, maybe more. Losing your starting shortstop for an unknown chunk of the season is the kind of problem that gets a front office moving fast.

The instinct around the league was that the Yankees would go get Machado, a genuine superstar shortstop/third baseman sitting in free agency with Didi hurt and the money to spend. They didn't. Instead, Brian Cashman built a patchwork solution -- first agreeing to a bargain-bin, one-year deal with 34-year-old Troy Tulowitzki on January 1 (basically a league-minimum flier), then coming back ten days later for LeMahieu. Two low-cost infielders instead of one $300 million superstar. Machado eventually signed with San Diego that February for 10 years and $300 million. The Yankees never got in that room.

What They Were Actually Buying

LeMahieu wasn't a total mystery. He'd spent seven seasons in Colorado after the Cubs traded him there in December 2011 (along with outfielder Tyler Colvin, for Ian Stewart and pitching prospect Casey Weathers -- a deal so lopsided it's still taught as a cautionary tale in Chicago). By 2018 he'd made two NL All-Star teams, won three Gold Gloves at second base, and in 2016 hit a freakin' .348 to win the National League batting title, edging Daniel Murphy by a single point. That .348 was the best average by a primary second baseman since Rod Carew hit .359 back in 1975. This was a real player, not a scrap-heap flier.

Then 2018 happened -- a quieter season, .276/.321/.428 with 15 homers in 128 games -- and the Rockies, watching Garrett Hampson and Brendan Rodgers push up from the minors, didn't even bother extending him a qualifying offer. LeMahieu hit free agency completely unattached to draft-pick compensation, which made him cheap and easy to sign. The batting title felt like ancient history to most of the league. The Yankees signed him anyway, planning to bounce him between second, third, and first depending on where Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar weren't standing that day.

The Part Where It Pays Off

If you already know DJ LeMahieu, you know how the rest of this goes. In the injury-wrecked 2019 season -- the Yankees ran through an MLB-record 30 players on the injured list -- LeMahieu became the first Yankee ever to make 25-plus starts at three different infield positions in one year, and hit .327 with 26 homers and 102 RBI along the way. Then in the shortened 2020 season, he hit .364 and became the first Yankee to win a batting title since Bernie Williams in 1998. A guy the Rockies didn't think was worth $17.9 million turned into the best hitter on a $200 million roster within eighteen months. Try explaining that at the time and see how many people believe you.

None of that was visible on January 11, 2019. What was visible: a two-year, $24 million contract for a versatile infielder who'd had one rough season after a genuinely great one, signed almost as an afterthought while the rest of the sport waited to see where Machado landed. The Yankees weren't chasing a headline. They were quietly betting that a guy who'd already proven he could hit .348 somewhere hadn't forgotten how. They were right.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did DJ LeMahieu sign with the Yankees?

LeMahieu and the Yankees agreed to terms on a two-year, $24 million contract on January 11, 2019. The deal became official on January 14, 2019, when the Yankees designated outfielder Tim Locastro for assignment to open a roster spot.

Why did the Yankees sign DJ LeMahieu instead of Manny Machado?

The two situations were related but separate. Didi Gregorius's October 2018 Tommy John surgery created an infield need, and the Yankees addressed it with lower-cost depth moves -- first Troy Tulowitzki on January 1, then LeMahieu on January 11 -- rather than pursuing Machado, who signed a 10-year, $300 million deal with the San Diego Padres that February.

What was DJ LeMahieu's contract with the Yankees worth?

LeMahieu's original Yankees deal was two years and $24 million, an average of $12 million per season. It turned out to be one of the best value contracts of the Brian Cashman era -- LeMahieu won the 2020 AL batting title and made his first All-Star team in 2019 while playing three different infield positions.

What had DJ LeMahieu accomplished before joining the Yankees?

LeMahieu spent seven seasons with the Colorado Rockies after a December 2011 trade from the Cubs. He won the 2016 NL batting title at .348, made two All-Star teams (2015, 2017), and won three Gold Gloves at second base (2014, 2017, 2018) before a quieter 2018 season led the Rockies to let him leave in free agency without a qualifying offer.