4 Yankees who need to live up to their contracts in 2022

3. DJ LeMahieu

Without question, DJ LeMahieu was the Yankees’ MVP in 2019 and 2020, rightfully earning a six-year, $90 million contract before the start of 2021. In those two seasons with New York, LeMahieu was a Silver Slugger and top-four MVP finisher. Incredible!

But then came this past season when he apparently battled a core muscle injury for most of the campaign (which was also affected by Rob Manfred removing the juiced ball). LeMahieu saw a considerable dip in his power numbers and batted a pedestrian .268, which is nowhere close to his career average of .300.

After slugging between .518 and .590 across 195 games, that number dipped to .362 across 150 in 2021. After hitting 36 home runs in his first 195 games with the Yankees, he hit just 10 last year. Concerning? A bit … but LeMahieu has never really hit for power throughout his career. His claim to fame was his contact rate and ability to hit the ball to all fields.

Fans don’t expect him to be the team MVP again and again … but can we meet somewhere in the middle? Maybe a .290-.300 average with 50+ extra-base hits? Keep the charge going at the top of the lineup?

Can’t have a below-average 97 OPS+ at the top of the lineup. LeMahieu proved he was the engine that helped the Yankees offense chug along with this 2019 and 2020 performances … but it became more evident after his 2021 regression.

2. Aroldis Chapman

OK, maybe Aroldis Chapman is the only one who actually needs to perform akin to what he’s being paid … because he’s the highest-earning closer in the game and is the third-highest salary on the Yankees payroll for next year. If anyone’s at fault, though, it’s the Yankees for paying him that much and giving him power to reject any trade when it was obvious he’d be regressing.

He’s been losing velocity on his fastball for a few years now. He was rewarded with an extension after blowing the 2019 ALCS in spectacular fashion. He then followed that up with two career-worst seasons and another playoff fumble (Mike Brosseau, come ON!).

So if Chapman is going to be the closer in the Bronx, there are certain expectations, and we cannot apologize for Mariano Rivera existing. The left-hander doesn’t need to be Rivera … but he can’t send us packing two years in a row in a humiliating manner without begging for forgiveness.

Since 2020, he’s 7-5 with a 3.31 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 74 games (68 innings). Really good! But if we went down the list and referenced the blown games, coupled with his career-worst 3.99 FIP in 2021, it’s just not sufficient for his $16 million salary when everyday guys are playing in double the games and logging 10 times the innings and making less.

If we can sacrifice some of Chapman’s regular-season success for a lights-out-ish playoff run, that trade-off will be well worth it.

1. Aaron Hicks

Good for Aaron Hicks for securing the bag, but we’ll forever be asking Brian Cashman the simple question of “Why?”.

Before the 2019 season, the veteran outfielder was given a seven-year, $70 million extension and then proceeded to play in just 145 of a possible 384 games. But that’s nothing new. He’s battled injury issues throughout his career, dating back to his MLB debut in 2013.

Nonetheless, he was rewarded swiftly after a career year. Not to mention, Hicks was one of the few players the Yankees broke their “policy” for when they negotiated with him before he was even a free agent. How did one year of playing in a career-high 137 games and soaring past his career highs in runs scored, homers, RBI and walks convince Cashman this was a prudent investment for his age-30-35 seasons? We don’t know.

What we do know, however, is that when Hicks is hitting effectively from both sides of the plate, working walks like a beast, ripping liners over the short porch, and covering adequate ground in center, the Yankees are that much better.

Just look at last year when the Yankees were dying for left-handed at-bats and relied on Hicks to deliver toward the top of the lineup. He hit .194 with a .627 OPS and the offense cratered. Then it was Brett Gardner’s turn to bat in the three-hole. Please, no more of this.

Hicks will (hopefully) be at full strength when the 2022 campaign opens, and all the Yankees need him to do is hit ~.230 with a ~.340 on-base percentage and ~18 homers. It’ll make all the difference. And you’ll know it when you see it.

4 Yankees who don’t deserve another season in 2022

These four New York Yankees players do not deserve another chance to play for the Bronx Bombers and put on the pinstripes in 2022.