Red Sox

Yankees’ star DJ LeMahieu could ‘re-engage’ with Red Sox, per report

LeMahieu has reportedly been 'dismayed' by the Yankees negotiations.

DJ LeMahieu's next home could be in Boston. Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

January 11, 2021

DJ LeMahieu could be the latest player to play for both sides in baseball’s most historic rivalry.

The star second baseman, who is currently a free agent, is “dismayed” by the Yankees’ negotiations to bring him back and will re-engage talks with teams who have previously shown interest, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Tim Brown.

One of those teams with reported interest in LeMahieu is the Red Sox, according to Brown.

Signing LeMahieu would fill one of the few noticeable holes the Red Sox have among their position players. The Red Sox outrighted Jose Peraza, who was the team’s second baseman for most of last season, in October. LeMahieu is looking for a similar deal to the one JD Martinez signed with the Red Sox (five years, $110 million) in 2018, Brown reported.

Since joining the Yankees in 2019, LeMahieu has established himself as one of the best hitters in baseball. He’s been named First Team All-MLB and won the Silver Slugger Award in both seasons as a Yankee. LeMahieu’s .364 batting average in 2020 was good enough for him to be the American League’s batting champion.

For the Red Sox, signing a player like LeMahieu (who turned down a one-year, $18.9 million qualifying offer from the Yankees) to a contract north of $50 million would require them to forfeit a second-round pick. The Red Sox haven’t ruled out potentially doing that, but view that sort of move as “unlikely,” The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reported in December.

Other teams that have shown reported interest in LeMahieu are the Dodgers, Jays, Mets, Braves, and Cardinals.