MLB Rumors: Yankees, DJ LeMahieu Still Far Apart in FA Negotiations

The 32-year-old LeMahieu finished third in the American League MVP voting last year.

The Yankees are not close to re-signing DJ LeMahieu, according to multiple reports.

As of Saturday night, LeMahieu is seeking a deal worth over $25 million more than what the Yankees are offering him, according to NJ.com's Brendan Kuty. 

The news of the gap comes as USA Today's Bob Nighengale said on Friday that the free-agent second baseman is looking for a five-year deal worth, $100 million while the Yankees are more interested in a four-year deal worth around $75 million.

The 32-year-old LeMahieu finished third in the American League MVP voting last year after leading MLB in batting averaged (.364). He finished fourth in the AL MVP vote in 2019, his first season with New York.

Check out the latest news and notes from around MLB:

• The Angels will be reluctant to overpay for second-tier free-agent starting pitchers, despite their obvious need for rotation help. They are still expected to pursue Trevor Bauer in free agency and/or Blake Snell via trade. (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)
• Recently hired Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski decided to take a job with a current team instead of continuing full-time with a Nashville group trying to bring a major-league franchise to the city. He learned from the league that no expansion will take place in 2021. (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)
• The Rays reportedly have talked about trying to bring back free-agent pitcher Chris Archer, whom they traded to the Pirates for Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows in 2018. The deal was considered a steal for the Rays. (Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times)
• Rockies star Nolan Arenado has a player-option after next season. If he were to be a free agent in the open market right now, he would likely get a deal in the $100 million to $125 million range. (Buster Olney, ESPN)
• Two-time Cy Young award winner Corey Kluber is rehabbing from an injury-shortened season in 2020, and he is expected to throw bullpen sessions for interested teams late this month. (Buster Olney, ESPN)