Ranking the 5 worst contracts in the AL East: Where do the Blue Jays land?

3. DJ LeMahieu, New York Yankees – 6 years, $90 million, $15 million AAV (2026)

As one of the best pure hitters in the league during his prime, DJ LeMahieu joined the Yankees’ organization back in 2019 after signing a two-year deal with the club via free agency. LeMahieu did not disappoint as he would end up posting his career-highs in runs scored (109), home runs (26) and RBI (102) during his first season with the team.

He followed that up with a strong 2020 year in which he led the entire league in batting average (.364) and the AL in OPS (1.011), while finishing as a finalist for the AL MVP Award. On top of that, he has proven to be an elite defender in the past with three Gold Gloves under his belt previously with the Colorado Rockies. Betting on the fact that LeMahieu would continue his dominance both at the plate and in the field, the Yankees quickly locked him up for six more seasons at $15 million AAV. At the time, it seemed like a big time steal, especially with the Jays apparently in pursuit of him at the time as well.

However, LeMahieu’s numbers would fall back down to earth ever since signing his contract. In his subsequent three years, he would average just 71 runs scored, 21 doubles, 12 home runs, 49 RBI while hitting below .270 despite playing more than 125 games per season. In 2024, things had gotten even worse, as his year had been filled with injuries and inconsistency. When he was healthy, he managed only 19 runs scored, 5 doubles, 2 home runs and 26 RBI in 67 games played while batting an absymal .204 with just a .527 OPS.

With his injuries and struggles this season, along with the emergence of key players joining the roster including Jon Berti and deadline acquisition Jazz Chisholm Jr., LeMahieu gradually fell out of the rotation in the Yankees’ everyday roster. Some have even speculated that we may have seen the last of him in a Yankees’ uniform as New York will likely look to move him this offseason. But whether there will any takers after his recent injury history and regression will be another story.