Yankees reportedly finalizing long-term deal with DJ LeMahieu

The New York Yankees are reportedly finalizing an agreement with DJ LeMahieu.

He wanted to be a part of it. And it looks like, despite a frosty stare down that lasted far too long, DJ LeMahieu will be staying with the Yankees in New York, New York for the foreseeable future.

Though the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, and Los Angeles Dodgers have all been “re-engaged with” in the past week, it seems that frustrating proclamation was the beginning of the end of the negotiations, not an anger-marred breaking point.

According to Jon Morosi, the Yankees weren’t bluffing when they said LeMahieu was their “top priority”; the two sides are reportedly finalizing a long-term agreement that could be signed, sealed and delivered on Friday.

That’s two-time MVP finalist DJ LeMahieu to you.

And here are the details. Shocking, to say the least.

This apparent deal comes on the heels of plenty of Thursday weirdness, from Luke Voit comparing LeMahieu to his home printer, to Didi Gregorius teasing fans with a “throwback” image on Instagram with all his Yankees logos blurred out.

Enough’s enough, though. No more concocting alternate paths that might’ve possibly, if every single piece worked out, fit the Yankees’ plans 90% as well as LeMahieu would’ve. For two years, he’s been the engine that makes this team go, and the voters have rewarded him by recognizing him as the team’s MVP. He’s got the kind of bat that ages well, one that consistently makes contact no matter the situation.

And he’s sticking around in the Bronx for, likely, four years.

It’s anyone’s guess how the numbers settled so fast, and where they landed. Rumor had it the Yankees’ previous offer was somewhere around four years and $68 million, and they declined repeatedly to offer him the fifth year he so coveted. It seems likely that’s still the case, and LeMahieu, fresh off asking around for the additional year, has agreed to four years flat, or four years and an option.

Most estimates have the total price between $72 million and $80 million, with either figure being low enough that a Corey Kluber pursuit (between $6 and $9 million guaranteed) could follow, as the Yankees currently sit around $35 million below the luxury tax.

It’s time to exhale, though. Now, the offseason can really get started. And we don’t have to spend a year theorizing about what shortstop in the 2021-22 frenzy might give Brian Cashman the time of day, tossing a year of Gerrit Cole’s prime asunder before a potential lockout.

Welcome home, DJ. This is where you belong.

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