The Yankees agreed to deals with a pair of high-profile players on Friday. They started the day off by coming to terms with their own free agent, infielder DJ LeMahieu, on a six-year contract worth $90MM. In the evening, they went outside the organization to add right-hander Corey Kluber. Unsurprisingly, that was a much shorter deal, with Kluber headed to the Bronx for a single year at $11MM.
LeMahieu’s contract came in a bit above pre-offseason expectations. Entering the winter, MLBTR forecasted a four-year, $68MM figure for the reigning AL MVP finalist. LeMahieu eclipsed that mark by more than $20MM, albeit over an additional two years. The six-year term is no doubt a luxury tax workaround. (Teams’ luxury tax figures are calculated by taking a contract’s average annual value, so extending the deal an extra year reduces the Yankees’ per-season luxury tax hit).
Kluber, on the other hand, landed right in line with MLBTR’s prediction (one-year, $12MM). The two-time Cy Young winner is a bit of a wild card after pitching just 36.2 innings combined over the last two seasons. But he’d generally impressed teams at a showcase earlier this week and has an atypical level of upside for an addition at that price point.
How does the readership feel about the Yankees’ recent acquisitions?
(poll links for app users)
I gave them both an F out of spite. FNYY
You know what I’m going to follow your lead. FNYY
I don’t mind the Yankees making the playoffs, because then it’s FNYY.
Yeah well, that’s coming down the road, lads.
Yanks are negotiating with Bauer, Hand, & Brantley right now.
Rumor has it that the Yankees are going to replace the interlocking NY with a new interlocking FU.
Wait last two years it was supposed to happen.. In fact, it was a foregone conclusion. hmmm
Very difficult to follow yet trying to be insulting post. hmmmm
Jealousy is an ugly thing.
No one is jealous of Yankee fans.
Except those that aren’t. Reference above for further proof. 28 coming soon.
Do you need some tissues
They need diapers
Fear to the stripes
lol
You’re just supposed to vote in the poll. No one cares what you voted. We probably care even less about that than your unfunny movie posts or you bragging about how un-racist you are. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
stay mad and jealous!
I give DJ an A and Kluber a C because I have absolutely no idea what he looks like in 2021
That DJ signing was an A. I wasn’t expecting a sixth year but the total money is still very palatable. Assuming MLB goes back to something like normal, even when DJLM stops being so productive, this contract probably wouldn’t even sink a team that behaves like a middle market team let alone the Yankees.
Both a B because they took too long and had potential to be A signings. C’mon Cash, lay off the Fritos and get moving.
Im surprised to see DJM so high. Dude has been insane for two years. Could probably get two 55 in a normal year. So this deal seems fantastic.
In a vacuum the DJLM deal is an “A”. I gave it a “B” because I think the money could have been better spent on pitching (Kluber is a big unknown) and an excellent defensive shortstop, such as Simmons, that would allow Torres to play his better defensive position, second base, and improve the Yankees’ overall defense.
The Yankees may need a SS, just not Simmons. They don’t need one more injury-prone player.
But for the Yanks O we need a couple contact hitters like DJ. it would be great if we went with a good trade for SS like Story maybe trading some mix of Miggy/Torres/Frazier with prospects and a used the remaining one and more prospects for Hendricks/Castillo. then sign Brantley on a deal similar to DJ and a bullpen arm, and the team would be set.
Also we could do it without much of a tax penalty.
Yeah A from me. Whatever he can provide years 5 and 6 is a plus as those years are basically free.
F just for being the evil empire. F the Yankees and their fans.
Right back at you.
It’s good to be loved @Joe
Twice, right back at you, twice, you ignoramus. Who hates people simply because they like a team? I can’t wait until the CBT welfare program is over and Yankees can make their 50th WS win.
Is 1701 the last time your team won?
champions1701 no doubt calls himself a mature adult. Actually carries full blown hate for a team and its fans. Hate, over a GAME. Must have the emotional IQ of a 13-year-old.
Some very spiteful voters here.
I gave it B for DJ and A for Kluber.
I went the other way around. I feel that even if DJ declines toward the end of his contract, the first three or four years of potentially elite production will make up for it. Plus, $15 million AAV will help them manage their payroll a bit.
Kluber certainly had a high ceiling, but we haven’t seen him pitch at a high level in two years, so he carries considerable risk. Obviously, a one-year contract is nothing to sweat, but I reserve A grades for bargain deals
As for the spiteful comments, I just don’t understand why fans have such strong hatred for certain teams. I don’t really think I could hate a franchise enough that it would cloud my objectivity to the point of delusion
I give both deals an A. LeMahieu has been the best 2B in the league since joining the Yankees and was a legitimate MVP candidate both years, keeping him for just $15 mil a year is a steal. The Kluber deal also gets an A for me because he should be capable of at least being a dependable mid rotation arm if not better assuming he’s healthy
Kluber is a fine lottery ticket, but he’s been anything other than dependable the past two years.
That’s why I said assuming he’s healthy. The Yankees must feel confident in Kluber staying healthy to commit $11 mil to him despite already being close to the luxury tax
I gave the Kluber deal a C for that reason. A year ago it’d be a B, but spending 11mil on a risk especially with 4 question marks in their rotation,
$11 mil is nothing for a SP in today’s market, especially for a guy with Kluber’s upside. He’s also better than every other SP in free agency besides Bauer so that is a very good deal
$11MM is something, since they’re bumping up near the luxury tax.
C for Kluber for me. I like the upside of him returning to close to form. But still a ?. And it’s not like they got a great deal on him. They paid the price. Now if it was 8 million with incentives or had a team option then A.
A for Dj since they barely gave him a raise after nearly winning mvp. Kluber was a hard C, seemed like a lot of money for his age and recent injury history. I honestly thought he would get a 1/6 deal or something along those lines.
Kluber s a huge risk. Texas took that risk in 2020 and received one inning, We will see what happens in 2021.
Yeah but it was a really good inning, no hits or runs.
Yeah, but he averaged a disastrous 9 walks per game.
Projecting that inning out to a full season, he’s going to be the best pitcher in history this year if he’s able to stay on the mound.
Good moves by the Yanks!
Hope the Yankees get Luis Castillo from the reds
It would be a huge get for them but also cost a lot. I think Castillo ultimately doesn’t get moved this offseason but maybe at the trade deadline. For now Joe Musgrove seems like the guy the Yankees should target
hmmm… a few notes..
-giving a six year / $ 90 MM contract to a 32 year old.. the best that deal could be is a C..
-one year contracts (like the one for Kluber) is always a good idea.. This one comes with the added value of having a well rested former 2 time Cy Young winner on his resume.. This is clearly a plus or well above average deal.. especially considering the injuries Kluber sustained over the last two season had NOTHING to do with his arm..
-Castillo would be a huge get..ginormous.. but it’s going to be expensive..
You can also look at it as a $90M/4 year deal with two club option years at $0. For $15M/year, it’s a steal but $22.5 is about market rate.
lol that’s why I gave that deal an A Yankees could eat the last two years and I’d be worth it
These guys always fixate on the end of the contract. Every time. It seems “surplus value” is a difficult concept for some fellas.
Agree on Kluber. They should get something from him and $11MM was reasonable. As for DJL, I also said C. It seemed like the plan was to not pay him for more than 3 years and they gave him 6. I know it makes the cbt hit less, but if Torres is to move to 2B, DJL has to move to 1B?! Does this mean they are passing on the best FA opportunities at SS this year and next??
I wouldn’t assume anything in terms of the Yankees being out on any FA but DJ gives a ton of flexibility. If the price isn’t right they can pass on FA and keep Torres at short and DJ at 2nd. Otherwise they can move Torres back to 2nd if they sign a FA SS and use DJ around the diamond as needed (between injuries and guys needing days off it won’t be hard getting him in the lineup at 1B, 2B, and 3B).
The way I look at the signing is DJ got the same amount of money he should have had for 4 years spread over 6 years. Years 5 and 6 are kinda freebies to me. If his production drops in those later 2 years you move him out of the everyday lineup and turn him into more of a super utility guy or defensive replacement. The other thing I will say is that in terms of skills that tend to decline with age, I usually think about losing speed and power first which really isn’t DJs game. Sure I expect him to fall off a little the last few years of the contract but if I had to pick a guy to still be productive into his later 30s, a contact hitter like DJ would be up there. Can move him to 1B if range starts to decrease at 2B.
finally someone mentions it. contact hitters age mich better than power hitters. 6yrs for DJ @32 ‘should’ be much much better than for example Miggy, Pujols contracts. and significantly lower payout.
#MakeMlbSalaryCap2023
Cry some more. (Also fyi, hashtags don’t do or mean anything here on MLBTR)
The LeMahieu contract is fantastic. We’ll see how Kluber works out. A bit of an excessive guaranteed amount for someone who hasn’t performed whatsoever for two years now, but you’re not getting higher upside for that amount, let alone from any player on the market not named Bauer. We’ll see how it plays out. A+ and B.
Agree. Also have to consider there could have been competition from half the league on that contract at least.
Klubot!! The man in the Boogie down
$11 million for a 35-year-old Corey Kluber who hasn’t pitched in 2 years due to injuries. Smh.
Here’s a tip for Yankee haters. Root for your own team. Don’t worry it send hate to the Yanks. It’s a given because of being New York that the Yankees AND the Nets will always be in play for the WS
Like DJ signing. Thought Kluber was an overpay.
Yankees bent DJ over with that deal so it was good for them and gave them the position to roll the dice with kluber for 11m.
I say A- for DJLM. Increasing his contract by $3 mil AAV was a great win. B- for Kluber. No idea how he will perform. Yankees need another starter to really be a contender. As a team, it is hard to tell your fans that your new #2 is a guy 5 years removed from a Cy Young and 2 years removed from a full season. Should be interesting.
Yankees fans are being to critical of Kleuber and feel sorry for anyone who heads there when they aren’t at the top of their game. Kleuber had a few injuries and Yankees fans just write him off. If this guy wins a World Series for the Yankees, I am going to rub it in the faces of these ungrateful fans. The other 29 clubs would take this guy under different circumstances. This Covid stuff has hurt every free agents market. No one knows if stadiums will have people in them this year. So clubs are pulling back a bit just to protect their investment. Kleuber can and will help the Yankees and solidify that rotation. It will be a top 3 rotation in the league this year.
I don’t think it’s writing him off. I imagine that any pitcher coming off two years of less than 40 innings – who will be 35 in April – allows room for skepticism. Of course, any fan wants him to do well, but looking at this pickup with a critical eye is the point of this question. I am curious to see why you think they will be a top 3 rotation?? It would be great for every Yankee fan, but there are a lot of question marks after Cole.
@luclusciano I should correct it to some extent. They will be a top 3 rotation by the end of the season. After some additional help coming back from injuries, that rotation will be solid. The offense will be of some concern this year for the Yankees. Can Judge and Stanton stay on the field to finish the season without injuries? That is the biggest question mark the Yankees have.
Nobody’s writing off Kluber. Caution is all. Sensible caution.
Personally I’m pumped about getting Kluber. I loved watching him pitch for years and was always hoping we didn’t have to face him in the playoffs. Worst case scenario is he sucks/gets injured and he’s gone after 1 year. Even if that happens, it will be fun watching such a great in pinstripes for whatever we get. Also nice to have a vet in the pen with some of the younger pitchers potentially coming up to fill out the rotation.
White Sox fans are absolutely ecstatic about the Kluber signing. The Yankees don’t have enough pitching to beat the White Sox in a 7-game series. Sox are eager to get at-bats vs. Kluber. Everybody Eats!
A on both; A+ on the duo –
Still would like to see an Sp in the 5~8 mill range (Richards Q or Walker) then a couple grabs in the Rp bargain bin 2~3 mill
Doesn’t matter who plays the field when you can’t pitch.
It’s difficult to give a one year, prove-it deal a bad grade. That is a lot of money, but it’s also the Yankees. Kluber potentially has huge upside, but he could also not play much. Difficult to give it anything less than a B because if it works, great. If it doesn’t, no commitment.
LeMahieu for 15 AAV is great even if you have to eat a year at the end of it.
Almost feels like they know the contract is likely to go under at the end but that they’re more concerned about the AAV for the luxury tax
Wow……lots of people drinking that Yankees Kool Aid on this site. LOL Who in their right mind could think giving LeMahieu a 6 year deal is a “good” deal. They could have very easily held out for 4 years. Nobody else would have been dumb enough to go over a 4 year deal. Also, people grading the Kluber deal as an A or B? Not only has the guy pitched 30 innings the last 2 years, but his fastball velocity was down 3 mph. He’s the type of pitcher you sign for your 5 spot.
How is resigning DJ a major win? 6 years for a 32-year-old who was already on two Yankee teams that didn’t win.. Kluber was throwing 88 – 90 at his showcase and Cashman gives him 11 million which is probably 5 million more than the next best offer. Sure years ago Kluber was a machine but a broken-down soon to be 35-year old soft-tosser will really have to be lightning in a bottle.
Those two Yankee teams that “didn’t win” (though they did make the playoffs both years) led the majors in injuries. It wasn’t DJ’s fault, as you clearly suggest.
My point exactly. Kluber almost 35 coming off 2 lost years, and DJ lumbering around into his late 30’s is a recipe to change that scenario. “We’re; still the Yankees” now translates to – we’ve won 1 WS in two decades so let’s keep doing exactly what doesn’t work and find excuses – lol
DJ is a winning player who keeps getting better year after year. His game is built on being a brilliant hitter and defender, not speed or power. I’m not worried at all about his bat as he gets older. And also I’ll worry about it the last 2 years of his contract when he is actually older not when he is putting up MVP seasons.
Kluber I’m not all excited about though. And honestly I expect to see him on the IL almost instantly.
He throwing 88-90 in January. Let’s see what he’s throwing in midseason form (which is usually a few MPH higher). The important thing is seeing him back and looking healthy throwing the ball. Besides it’s hard to blame a guy for getting hit on a comebacker… we aren’t talking stanton getting injured running to second base. Also there are reports that the Yankees weren’t even the highest bidder… The guy has great stuff and there’s is really nothing to lose taking a one year flier on him.
DJ as I noted above doesn’t need to be great years 5 and 6; they’re practically free.
Not saying these deals were perfect (I gave a Kluber a B mostly because of the Yankees really are playing poor and unwilling to go over the CBT I would have preferred a few million less to give more room for another starter) but you’re clearly letting your bias show here.
I should take back the F until I see the rest of the off-season. I just don’t like the uncertainty of counting on a SP who is older and has made 8 starts over the last 2 years. If there was a bit more stability in the rotation outside of Cole I would be okay with it. But I think they should focus on finding someone who can eat up innings.
So I guess It’s a pending F
I don’t like the Yankees but I gave them an A on both deals .
I didn’t vote because I do not care about the Yankees. Is there going to be a poll for every team? Or is there significant pressure to create polls for just the Yankees?
I gave Kluber a C because that’s a lot of money for a guy coming off injury but it’s also just for one year and he’s a 2 time Cy Young award pitcher.
I honestly think they aren’t done. They need to get Kluber and DJ on the 40 man roster. So a deal is coming
A for DJ
F for Kluber
I have both deals an A because I am a Yankee fan.
Yanks get an A+ for the DJ signing.
Does Kluber appear in more games in 2021 than Troy Tolowitzki did in ‘19?
I’ve been saying this since the signing that worst case Kluber becomes tulo part 2
I would have spent the money on Pitching. To get to the WS you have to play defense and posses a pitching staff with swing and miss stuff. Bauer could probably pitch every fourth day on a Yankees staff. Kluber gets by with depth of his pitches, not velocity. It takes great are strength to manipulate the ball like he does to get action in the dirt area of home plate. Has he regained that arm strength???? Other than Cole, who can win a playoff game on that staff??
An A for the DJ signing, a C for Kluber.
The DJ signing was brilliant. Props to DJ for taking a discount to play for a team he wants to finish his career with.
Kluber at 35, is a huge risk for team needing starting pitching. How do the Yanks not give that money to Tanaka? He’s a solid #2. Kluber could be a #1, but could just as easily be a spectator. Not sure it’s worth the risk when you know what Tanaka will give you.
Sorry to say Tanaka’s best days are behind him. Time to say sayonara to Tanaka.
Tanaka is a joke of an MLB pitcher
DJ will regress as the pitchers adjust their approach. He was only above average one year in hitter’s paradise. But nobody else was going to pay him at his age and his mostly pedestrian offense before the vitamin team signed him. So I give it a C. Meh. Kluber is maybe worth signing but they could easily be throwing their money away. He could be Ed Whitson v3.0 when the classless yankee drivel give him poop because he doesn’t pitch a no-hitter every time out. In summary, terrible fan base, systemic cheating, so maybe foreign substance man will pal around with Kluber and get the signing up to a C as well. I see the yankees as nothing more than a glorified .500 team that will constantly cry excuses for not winning it all.
But other than that, have a nice day.
DJ was projected to get 4yrs and $68mil. He got 6 yrs and $90 mil. Huge payday for a guy in his 30’s.
Kluber has had 2 years of injuries and gets $11 mil.
If any other team had made these signings, the Yankee fans would be laughing.
5 years from now, Stanton, Cole and DJ will be over 35 years old and tying up almost $100 mil..
@BobGibsonFan – so you are saying that in 5 years the Yankees will be better off than they are now as their commitment is less and entails three players rather than two.
I gave the Kluber signing a C because there are too many unknowns. If Kluber pitches like he has in the past, then the signing is a A. If he can’t come back from the injury – and the little teams saw of him is not enough to determine if his shoulder can hold up to a complete season – then the signing is an F. I’m very surprised the Yankees offered so much to Kluber. I was expecting someone would sign him to a low base contract with many incentives. $11 million is a lot of money to risk on a player coming off two seasons lost to injury, especially one who will turn 35 years old early in the season.
I’ve said this for years now, and I’ll say it again – the Yankees will never win the World Series as long as Cheap Hal is the team’s owner. When he had the chance – years ago – to sign Verlander, Halladay, Lee, Corbin, Kershaw, Scherzer and Kluber, just to name a FEW, he passed on all of them. ALL OF THEM!!! George would have signed AT LEAST THREE of those studs. Consequently, the Yankees would have won four or five WS titles to add to their list. How many have they won since Cheap Hal took hold of the team? ZERO. That’s how many. This guy signed Garret Cole because he HAD to sign Cole after all his failures. (Remember he could have signed Cole two years earlier but, as usual, let the best pitchers go elsewhere – for a DECADE let the best pitchers go elsewhere! Problem is that one stud pitcher and four .500 pitchers don’t win WS titles. If George were still alive he would have FIRED his incompetent son after three years and put a real baseball man in charge. Hal cares more for his yachts and parties than he does about the New York Yankees and their fans.
HAL controls the spaceship.
A spaceship that’s in the shop more often than a Fiat.
Who’s idea was it to trade for Stanton, extend Hicks and throw money at Cole? Hal or Cashman? If you think Hal is holding back the purse he’s doing a poor job at penny pinching.
Less worrying about Hal and more concerned over where the money is going and why should be a bigger concern.
Absolutely not. PiTCHING wins games. Not Stanton. He had opportunity after opportunity after opportunity to sign STUDS but passed on all of them. THAT is why we haven’t won a WS in eleven years. You KNOW his father would have signed Verlander, Scherzer and Halladay as they became available.. My God, this bum wouldn’t give Corbin an extra year! Washington did. Give me that owner!!! With those guys on board as our starting pitching staff the Yankees would have ruled baseball. Unfortunately, Hal is a cheapskate and only signs when attendance – fans in the seats or television receipts – is down. There are FAR better owners out there. He should sell the team and spend all his time on yachts he loves so much.
Have you ever heard the name: Chris ILLICH?
The guy doesn’t even like baseball…..
What do you Yankee fans think they would give up for Castillo?
He’d be costly. Probably Frazier, and Schmidt or Garcia, plus Medina – and you’d still probably be a prospect away. Maybe someone like Peraza or Yajure to top it off.
Hal Steinbrenner.
Here’s a different idea– how about a trade built around Severino for Castillo? The advantages to the Yankees are pretty obvious– a full year in 2021, an extra year of control, and a little more payroll space. Severino may not fit the Reds needs as well, but if he returns to ace level they could turn around and trade him to a contender for a bucketful of top prospects.
Considering it clearly seems the Yankees want to stay under the tax threshold, two As.
Giving DJLM the most guaranteed $$ but keeping his deal at 15 million per works for both him and the Yankees.
Kluber has the most upside they could have possibly signed as a SP for 11 million, and both he and the team benefit from a one year deal in his case.
Two great moves, and they haven’t had to trade anyone yet, so the chips and some space are still there if they do need to make any trades.
They could just sign a depth SP now and roll.
Frazier should be off limits now. How about Andujar, Florial, Peraza, Ford, Wade and two pitchers not Garcia or Schmidt for Castillo.
I take it that Dominguez is completely off limits? I would say the deal would have to start with either Frazier or Torres.
I mean, we’re talking about 3 arbitration years left on a pitcher who has no ceiling. Am I overvaluing?
I don’t think this happens without Dominguez. Him plus one of Garcia/Schmidt (to replace Castillo), plus another decent prospect.
Andujar has little trade value, Ford has no trade value. Florial’s value has continued to drop as he has not hit in the minors. Mlbnyfan, your trade proposals are embarrassing. You always seem to expect a team’s best player for Yankee leftovers.
That’s 5 guys on the 40 man roster. Reds won’t take so many guys that need 40 man roster slots immediately. They would have to DFA four of their own guys to make that work. It’s rare (almost never) that a trade is more than one 40 man roster slot out of balance.
Typical Yankees…just when it appeared they were adrift…bang. Cashman is like a panther dropping out of a tree. Vive Le Evil Empire.
DJ is definitely an A. Kluber I gave an F. Simply because that’s a lot of of money, for a pitcher with more questions than Solutions at this point in his career.