Latest Dodgers-DJ LeMahieu update is great news for Yankees

Apparently, neither the Dodgers or Yankees want to go five years with DJ LeMahieu.

Could the New York Yankees’ staring contest with DJ LeMahieu really be coming to an end soon? It didn’t seem like it just 48 hours ago when we caught wind of Justin Turner’s reported contract demands, which would’ve seemed to give the Los Angeles Dodgers an advantage in their “continued interest” in LeMahieu.

Admittedly, we’re scared of the Dodgers. They’re the NL Yankees. They have money. They want to win. They’re the defending World Series champs. They have an actual need for LeMahieu. They’ve been interested him in the past. It’s troubling to think about.

But if this latest update tells us anything, it’s that the Yankees have the edge to re-sign their MVP for the last two seasons. For now, we can exhale.

Here’s the latest from Jim Bowden of The Athletic:

“The Dodgers are in the mix for LeMahieu’s services, but like the Yankees don’t appear willing to offer a five-year contract nor the average annual value LeMahieu’s agent Joel Wolfe is hoping to get.”

Anyway, if the Dodgers aren’t going five years or offering a higher AAV, this gives the Yankees the inside track. As various insiders have alluded to, if there’s no suitor out there willing to meet LeMahieu’s reported demands or go above and beyond whatever the Yankees offered (we’d like to assume it’s somewhere in that four-year, $75-80 range), the slugger will likely return to New York.

There’s no reason to get elsewhere if the price isn’t significantly different.

https://twitter.com/TalkinYanks/status/1345070686704959491?s=20

The Dodgers could also be concerned with their fiscal situation heading into 2020. They’ve already added a decent amount to their payroll by re-signing Blake Treinen, trading for Corey Knebel, and bringing in Brandon Morrow and Tommy Kahnle. It wasn’t a ton, but LA is getting close to the luxury tax threshold and they’d be repeat offenders if they hit it, making their penalty even higher. Getting into a bidding war for LeMahieu certainly complicates things on that front if it’s a concern of theirs.

Yankees fans won’t be satisfied until a LeMahieu deal is announced, but this will suffice for now.

Justin Turner’s contract demands could screw Yankees with DJ LeMahieu

Could free agent Justin Turner's demands send DJ LeMahieu to the Los Angeles Dodgers instead of the New York Yankees? Uh oh.