Yankees Unsure If $90 Million Three-Time All-Star Will Contribute Next Season

The New York Yankees are weighing some blockbuster additions to the payroll.

First and foremost, the team will negotiate with superstar slugger Juan Soto on a long-term contract after he led the team in runs during the 2024 season. Soto's next deal might reach into the $600 million range. And general manager Brian Cashman has also checked in on veteran free agent Pete Alonso, who will also command a nine-figure contract going forward.

Ultimately, the Yankees might add multiple highly-priced players as the team looks to return to the World Series. But any additions will have to work within some very real payroll constraints, as the team is already on the hook for more than $185 million in 2025, the second-highest figure in baseball at this point.

The Yankees' financial flexibility is constrained somewhat by superstars like Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Gerrit Cole, who will each earn $32 million or more next season. But the team also owes a significant amount to a player who might not even take the field in 2025, as veteran infielder D.J. LeMahieu is set to earn $15 million in 2025 and again in 2026.

When asked about LeMahieu's potential contributions for next season during the recent GM meetings, Cashman sounded far from sure that he'd be able to play a significant role, despite that salary.

"I'm certainly hopeful that at some point D.J. LeMahieu can play a role for us, but I'm going to evaluate all options right now that are available to us," he said, according to Chris Kirschner and Brendan Kuty of The Athletic.

LeMahieu will be in the fifth season of a six-year, $90 million contract with the Yankees in 2025 and, despite that payroll hit and his highly-decorated past, it seems as if the team might be better off without him. LeMahieu has earned four Gold Glove Awards, two Silver Slugger Awards and three All-Star nods in his 14-year career, but persistent injuries caught up with him in dramatic fashion in 2024.

He was expected to hit leadoff to open the season, but the third baseman suffered a foot injury in spring training and missed the debut. For 2024, he slashed .204/.269/.259 in just 67 games with a -1.6 WAR and he missed the team's playoff roster after his season ended with a hip injury.

After the Yankees acquired Jazz Chisholm Jr. at the trade deadline and moved him to third base, it's unclear what role LeMahieu might play even if he is healthy in 2025. He might serve as a backup infielder or the team might opt to part ways with him altogether.

"We're guessing the Yankees move on from LeMahieu, despite the $30 million he's still owed through 2026," Pete Caldera predicted for NorthJersey.com.

It's unlikely that another team will take on the former All-Star's salary, though, so any offseason additions for the Yankees will have to work alongside LeMahieu's payroll hit.