Second baseman DJ LeMahieu and the New York Yankees are finalizing a $ 90 million, $ 90 million contract, sources familiar with the deal told Jeff Passan.
LeMahieu finished third in the American League MVP vote after winning the AL beat title with an average of .364 MLB leader during the pandemic-reduced 2020 season, becoming the fourth player in the history of the Yankees in leading the majors in this category, along with Mickey Mantle (.353 in 1956), Joe DiMaggio (.381 in 1939) and Lou Gehrig (.363 in 1934).
It was the second career-beating title for 32-year-old LeMahieu, who won the National League crown with a .348 batting average in the Colorado Rockies in 2016. He joined Hall. of Famer Ed Delahanty (1899, 1902) as the only player to win christening titles in both leagues.
LeMahieu had turned down a one-year, $ 18.9 million, qualifying offer from the Yankees.
Despite watching most of his playing time at second base, LeMahieu, who earned $ 12 million in 2020, also saw action at first and third base. He has elite contact skills and plate discipline, finishing the season with 10 homers, including a best of the MLB at seven on the opposing field, 41 runs scored and 27 runs, and led the AL in base percentage (.421 ), OPS (1,011) and OPS + (177).
“If you add up the last two years in Major League Baseball, he’s on the shortlist for being the best player in the sport,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the regular season. “It’s been so shocking. In the biggest moments, it always seems to deliver.”
In two seasons with the Yankees, LeMahieu has a .336 batting average in 195 games, with 36 homers, 129 RBIs, 150 RBIs and a .922 OPS. During this period, he led the majors with 80 multi-time games and was second with 268 hits while posting a .384 batting average with runners in scoring position.
He also challenged the perceived norm by hitting homers more often while playing with the Yankees (every 24 plate appearances) than with the Rockies (76).
The only hiccup of his 2020 season came when he landed on the ten-day injured list in August after tearing his thumb in an awkward balance. It was the second time he had injured that thumb; he also broke a small bone while he was with the Rockies in 2018.
The triple All-Star selection has a Silver Slugger Award (2019) and three Gold Glove Awards (2014, 2017, 2018) to its name, showing its value on the plate and in the field. In 2018, while with the Rocky Mountains, he led all the top leaders in defensive regression analysis.
In ten major league seasons, LeMahieu, a second-round Chicago Cubs in the 2009 draft, has a .305 career-high average with 85 homers, 478 RBI, 651 RBIs and a .787 OPS.
ESPN’s Marly Rivera contributed to this report.