New York Yankees: Imagining life without DJ LeMahieu in the Bronx

The New York Yankees still haven’t inked DJ LeMahieu to a multi-year deal. What would happen if they don’t?

The New York Yankees should be waking up each morning this offseason with one item on their to-do list: Sign DJ LeMahieu. Instead, it seems they’ve become distracted and are ignoring the real task at hand, much to the dismay of Yankees fans across the world and the joy of various MLB teams drooling over the possibility of snagging the highly coveted second baseman.

Thirty-three days ago, the Yankees were victims of the Tampa Bay Rays and their World Series run, being eliminated in the most heartbreaking way. From there, the inference was that DJ LeMahieu would be signed as soon as the offseason officially arrived. And yet, here we are.

The chances of the Bronx Bombers inserting LeMahieu back into their lineup for many seasons to come is highly likely. But what if that never happens? What if the Yankees pass due to financial reasons and another team swipes him away?

Unfortunately, there is a slight chance that DJ LeMahieu doesn’t return to the Bronx. And if that is the situation, the Yankees better be prepared.

If the Yankees lose LeMahieu in free agency, that puts a gaping hole at the second base position. But wait…wasn’t Gleyber Torres a pretty successful second baseman in his first two seasons? That’s absolutely right!

When down a LeMahieu, the Yankees would likely shift Torres back to second base, which would be a defensive downgrade. However, Torres struggled at shortstop and taking him out of that position is a blessing for the Bombers.

With that, the Yankees have a completely different opening in the infield. The shortstop position is vital and the Yankees have struggled there last year with Torres. While many are anticipating the Yankees to make a potential move for Francisco Lindor, arguably one of the best trade options in the game, they would have to give up a lot for potentially just one year before losing him to free agency.

Didi Gregorius, a former pinstriped cheerleader, is coming off a one-year campaign in Philly and could easily serve as a one-year option until the real impressive class of 2021-22 free agent shortstops make their appearance. Why not use Gregorius as a filler, with his tailor-made Yankee Stadium bat and slick fielding, in anticipation of inking Trevor Story, Javier Baez, or even Corey Seager next offseason?

Another option for this upcoming season is going the route of potentially signing Andrelton Simmons, a proven defender who hasn’t quite had the best last two seasons at the plate. His defense speaks for itself, as he is consistently a Gold Glove candidate in his eight-year career.

Marcus Semien is also an option but will likely warrant a far larger contract due to his defensive abilities and his bat, earning him a third-place finish in the 2019 MVP voting.

See? There ARE options besides DJ LeMahieu. If for some reason he doesn’t find his way back to the pinstripes, there are players available that can make Yankees fans forget all about that MVP-caliber player. Right?

No. Of course not. The goal is to get DJ LeMahieu back. However, sometimes we have to imagine the worst-case scenario. And when we really do look at it, a loss of LeMahieu would be huge. But the Yankees would learn to find a way to win without him.

But please, for the love of all things holy, sign DJ LeMahieu right now.