Yankees: 2021 Replacements for DJ LeMahieu

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DJ LeMahieu of the New York Yankees (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

DJ LeMahieu will be a free agent after this season, and if the Yankees let him walk, they’ll have to get creative.

If DJ LeMahieu leaves the New York Yankees after 2020, something will have gone very wrong with the team’s best-laid plan.

That being said, sometimes…things happen, and it’s possible another big-spending team will value New York’s infield MVP candidate at a level beyond what the Yankees are willing to afford, especially considering 2/5 of their rotation is also hitting the market in Masahiro Tanaka and James Paxton.

So, what would a world without LeMahieu look like? 2021’s second base free agents are no great shakes, so it’s likely that New York would either move Gleyber Torres back to second and pursue a star shortstop, or add one of the league’s most clutch veterans on a short-term deal.

4. Yankees Target: Andrelton Simmons

Los Angeles Angels star Andrelton Simmons (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

The Yankees could target the game’s best-fielding shortstop in Andrelton Simmons.

While nobody wants to live in a world without LeMahieu, let’s just say that the extent of Gleyber Torres’ struggles at short in a proverbial 2020 season could dictate the Bronx’s reaction to this theoretical move.

The 30-year-old Simmons had his toughest offensive season in 2019, but he still posted 1.9 WAR — his defense is simply that spectacular. Even with Torres’ 38 homers, his WAR was only 3.1. That’s the kind of electric shimmying Simmons would bring to the shortstop position.

Torres would likely be willing to relent and head back to second, in this case. If the Yankees shirk LeMahieu and pursue Simmons, it’s clear they prioritized a monumental defensive upgrade.

3. Yankees Target: Marcus Semien

Oakland A’s shortstop Marcus Semien (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

The Yankees could choose to replace DJ LeMahieu with a fellow breakout MVP candidate in Marcus Semien.

If the Yankees choose to let LeMahieu walk, they’d better swing hard in an effort to replace him, and should look no further than the best free agent infielder (other than LMHU, of course) on the market following the 2020 season.

Though Semien plays his home games in Oakland, the slugging infielder rivals the game’s best shortstops, and would immediately rank above Xander Bogaerts in the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, sanding off a bit of the bragging rights coming from Boston. Semien, who will be 30 years old when he hits free agency, finished third in the MVP race last season after posting an absurd 8.9 WAR, 33 homers, and 92 RBI, and SOMEHOW failed to make the All-Star team (which, we assure you, would NOT happen if he’d posted the same numbers in the Bronx).

While saying farewell to LeMahieu would adequately depress the Yankee populace, this replacement would signal that the team continues to think big while attempting to fortify the lineup. Semien seems destined for a big-city payday this time around, and the Yankees will have to closely monitor the bidding. Goodness knows Oakland won’t be able (or willing) to afford him, so if the Yanks don’t have a spot reserved, they should cross their fingers and hope he signs on in the senior circuit, or remains on the west coast.

And speaking of the Dodgers…

2. Yankees Target: Justin Turner

Los Angeles Dodgers star Justin Turner (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images) /

Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Justin Turner will be a free agent this offseason at 36 years old.

If the Yankees lose LeMahieu, the element they’ll miss most in their stacked lineup is the consistent hard contact he makes, especially in pressure situations. In that case, Justin Turner is likely the most one-for-one replacement on the market, as well as the most likely, considering he will not command a long-term deal and is versatile enough to slot in at second or third, much like LeMahieu.

Even though Turner’s alleged to be reaching the end of his rope, he still hit .290 with 27 homers and 67 RBI last season. The slugger truly makes his bones in October, though — in 11 career postseason series, he’s a .310 hitter with a .411 OBP and nine momentous homers. You remember them, right? The smash to center that sank the Cubs in 2017, the 2018 NLCS homer in Game 2 in Milwaukee that changed the tenor of that entire series…Turner is money with the game on the line, especially when said game really matters.

And, plus, who wouldn’t want to return to New York and wear the pinstripes for the twilight of their career, after being cast aside by the Mets on the other side of town?

Hmm…a return to pinstripes…wait a second, we’ve got an idea.

1. Yankees Target: Didi Gregorius

New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

Didi Gregorius could return to the New York Yankees after an abbreviated 2020 campaign in Philadelphia.

We know the Yankees’ marriage with Didi Gregorius works when the slugging infielder is fully healthy, so it would make perfect sense to reunite the Torres-Didi middle infield, if the need arises.

In this world, it seems likely the Yanks prioritized retaining Tanaka and/or Paxton, leaving limited funds left to patch up the infield. Gregorius, a victim of terrible timing, would fit right into this patchwork plan.

After a 2019 season where the affable shortstop was clearly never quite right after his Tommy John surgery rehab (though he still provided a key grand slam in Game 2 of the ALDS), the Yankees were more than willing to let him walk and sign a “prove it” one-year deal with Joe Girardi and the Phillies. Unfortunately, his attempt to prove himself has been halted by a global pandemic, and he likely won’t get any more than 82 games to let the world know he’s regained his skills.

Sadly, Gregorius’ services may come at a bargain this time next year, as he’ll still need another season of proving under his belt to earn a little more security. If New York lets LeMahieu depart, their once and future king could be a pretty solid backup plan (and might just satiate a few angry fans in the process, too).

That being said, let’s hope Gregorius takes off in Philly and prices himself out of town, and LeMahieu returns, keeping the whole unit together.

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