Second base DJ LeMahieu and the New York Yankees are finalizing a six-year contract worth $ 90 million, sources familiar with the agreement told Jeff Passan, ESPN.
LeMahieu finished third in the American League MVP vote after winning the AL title with an average of .364 MLB leader during the pandemic shortened 2020 season, becoming only the fourth player in Yankees history to lead the majors in that category, along with Mickey Mantle (.353 in 1956), Joe DiMaggio (.381 in 1939) and Lou Gehrig (.363 in 1934).
It was the second career battle title for 32-year-old LeMahieu, who won the National League crown with a .348 batting average for the Colorado Rockies in 2016. He joined Hall of Famer Ed Delahanty (1899, 1902). ) for the only player to win batting titles in both leagues.
LeMahieu had turned down a $ 18.9 million one-year bid by the Yankees.
While seeing most of his playing time at second base, LeMahieu, who earned $ 12 million in 2020, also saw action at first and third bases. He has elite contact skills and plate discipline, finishing the season with 10 rounds at home, including an MLB-best seven in the opposing field, 41 goals scored and 27 RBIs and led AL in the base percentage. (.421), OPS (1,011) and OPS + (177).
“If you add the last two years to Major League Baseball, he’s on the shortlist because he’s the best player in the sport,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the regular season. “It was so shocking. In the biggest moments, it always seems to deliver.”
In two seasons with the Yankees, LeMahieu has averaged 336 bats in 195 games, 36 home runs, 129 RBIs, 150 Rounds and a .922 OPS. During this time, he led the majors with 80 multihit games and was second with 268 shots while posting a .384 batting average with runners in the scoring position.
He also defied the perceived norm by hitting home with more frequencies while playing for the Yankees (every 24 appearances on the set) than he did with the Rockies (76).
The only hiccup in his 2020 season came when he landed on the list of 10 injured days in August, after turning his thumb in a strange swing. It was the second time he had hurt that thumb; He also broke a small bone while with the Rockies in 2018.
The three-time All-Star selection has a Silver Slugger Award (2019) and three Gold Glove Awards (2014, 2017, 2018) for its name, showing its value on the set and on the field. In 2018, while with the Rockies, he led all major leagues in defensive regression analysis.
In 10 major league seasons, LeMahieu, a second-round pick by the Chicago Cubs in the 2009 draft, has an average of 305 career-highs, 85 home runs, 478 RBIs, 651 home runs. and a .787 OPS.
ESPN’s Marly Rivera contributed to this report.