Luke Voit would ‘put money’ on DJ LeMahieu’s return to New York Yankees

New York Yankees first baseman Luke Voit is pretty confident DJ LeMahieu will be returning to the Bronx for the 2021 season.

Luke Voit is pretty sure he knows DJ LeMahieu will be lining up next to him in the infield in 2021. He’s so confident, he’s willing to bet money that LeMahieu will re-sign with the New York Yankees.

Luke Voit: ”If I was a gambling man, I’d want to put money on DJ coming back. I think he wants to be back. I hope he’s back because he's one of the best players in baseball, one of the best hitters I ever played with. I want him in the pinstripes for the rest of his career.”

— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) December 9, 2020

So what in god’s name are we waiting for? The Yankees want LeMahieu back. LeMahieu wants to come back. Let’s get Cashman and LeMahieu’s people in a room and hammer this thing out already.

The hold up is the fifth year that LeMahieu is seeking. Early reports indicated that the Yankees didn’t want to go five years. But early reports also indicated LeMahieu was willing to accept a smaller deal to get that fifth year with the Yankees. So it seems LeMahieu and the Yankees will continue walking circles around each other like an old-western movie showdown until one of them caves.

And it should be the Yankees that cave.

LeMahieu has been with the team for two seasons and posted a top-four MVP finish in each year, including a batting title in 2020. He has a good strikeout rate, hard-hit rate, and average exit velocity. He’s got multiple Gold Glove awards and the positional flexibility to move to first or third in his twilight years.

He also provided a remedy to what plagued the 2018 Yankees — hitting with runners in scoring position. In 2020, he slashed .364/.405/.455 with runners in scoring position.

To sum it up, LeMahieu is a perfect fit in pinstripes. And the Yankees shouldn’t let their expectations of his fifth-year production stop them from reaping the rewards of his presence during the current championship window. The fans know it. Luke Voit knows it. And it’s time for the Yankees to roll up their sleeves and get it done.