Corey Kluber And DJ LeMahieu Signings Should Brighten The New York Yankees’ Future

FILE – In this July 26, 2020, file photo, Texas Rangers starting pitcher Corey Kluber pitches … [+] against the Colorado Rockies. (AP Photo/Louis DeLuca, File)

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The rivalry between the New York Yankees and the New York Mets will be fascinating to watch for years to come.

The arrival of Steve Cohen as the new owner of the Mets, and his appointment of veteran front office baseball executive Sandy Alderson as team president has changed the dynamics for New York City baseball prominence.

The huge professional baseball market of New York may have to brace itself for ongoing player additions, subtractions and roster tweaks by both teams, as they position themselves to contend for a World Championship.

The Mets signed free agent catcher James McCann to a four-year, $40.5M contract, followed by trading for All Star shortstop Francisco Lindor and highly regarded right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco from the Cleveland Indians. Lindor signed a one-year, $22.3M contract in this, his final year before free agency. Carrasco carried two more $12M years on his current contract to New York. The Mets have an option for 2023 at $14M.

The Mets latest move was adding San Diego Padres left-handed pitcher Joey Lucchesi in a three-team trade among the Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates and Mets.

For their part in the inner-city chess match, the Yankees are hoping to strike back quite loudly.

The Yankees are said to have a deal in place with infielder DJ LeMahieu for a six-year, $90M contract, bringing the outstanding 2020 American League Batting Champion back to their club after he registered for free agency. LeMahieu won a National League Batting Championship playing for the Colorado Rockies in 2016.

Filling a hole in their starting rotation, the Yankees are also said to have a deal in place with free agent starter Corey Kluber on a one-year, $11M contract. They would be signing Kluber away from a number of interested suitors that witnessed an “audition” throwing session Kluber held for two thirds of MLB’s teams.

As this is being written, the Yankees have not yet announced either signing, and the players are not listed on the team’s roster. But sources indicate the deals are in place.

According to Fangraphs, the Mets current player payroll stands at $186M, or $10M less than the projected 2020 payroll would have been had the pandemic not altered the salary structure. Of course, plenty of time remains to add to that payroll before the first pitch is thrown in the 2021 season. The Mets are reportedly looking to improve their outfield depth.

At this point in the offseason, with LeMahieu and Kluber, the Yankees would have a payroll of $201M, according to Fangraphs. That is a reduction of $48M from this time last season.

It should be noted that the 2021 MLB Luxury Tax threshold is $210M. Financial penalties trigger after that salary figure is reached.

The Yankees addition of Corey Kluber to their pitching would givs them a seasoned veteran for their rotation.

Signing DJ LeMahieu would return a very potent spark plug bat to their lineup.

Corey Kluber:

While pitching for the Cleveland Indians against the Miami Marlins in May 2019, right-hander Corey Kluber fractured his right forearm after getting hit by a line-drive off the bat of Brian Anderson.

After being traded to Texas December 15, 2019, Kluber lasted one inning in his July 2020 debut for his new team before experiencing right shoulder stiffness. He threw 18 pitches and left the game, never to pitch again for the Rangers. His 2020 start was his first in almost 15 months since his broken forearm.

Selected in the 4th round of the 2007 Major League First Year Player Draft by the San Diego Padres, the 34-year-old Kluber will be joining his fourth big league club. He will turn 35 in April. Kluber was traded to the Cleveland Indians in July 2010 as part of a three-team deal that included San Diego, Cleveland and the St. Louis Cardinals. 

Kluber made his big league debut pitching for Cleveland in 2011. He pitched in parts of nine seasons for the Indians, making the American League All Star Team three times. He won the American League Cy Young Award in 2014 and 2017.

The Indians traded Kluber to the Rangers in December 2019. He entered free agency October 30, 2020.

Kluber led the American League in complete games three times (2015, 2017 and 2018) as the ace of the staff while pitching for Cleveland. Starting in 2017, Kluber also led his league in shutouts three consecutive years. He also had the most American League wins in 2014 and 2017, winning 18 games in both those years.

Kluber has fashioned a fine 3.16 ERA and sparkling 1.08 WHIP in his big league career.

He has a record of 98-58, and has started 204 games. Kluber has thrown 1342.2 major league innings.

The Indians traded Kluber after the 2019 season in which he yielded a career high 11.1 hits per nine innings before being sidelined by the fractured forearm. In that season, he had thrown only 35.2 innings to the point of his injury, but he had yielded 44 hits, a much higher ratio than his norm.

Kluber’s velocity dipped at least two miles per hour, from 92 to 90 MPH within the same season by the time he pitched his last inning for Cleveland. He still used a repertoire of fastball, slider, cutter and changeup, but this observer saw far less zip on his offerings.

It remains to be seen what version of Kluber could be pitching for the Yankees. Is he in decline, or can he find new life in The Bronx?

Indeed, if Corey Kluber’s arm is strong and he shows no further signs of decline and if he retains his health, the Yankees would have a workhorse to help their quest for a World Series Championship.

D J LeMahieu:

The Yankees initially signed DJ LeMahieu away from the National League Colorado Rockies prior to the 2019 season. They gave the Gold Glove winning LeMahieu a two-year, $24M contract.

Now, after he entered free agency at the end of the 2020 season, LeMahieu was in demand by several clubs seeking his potent bat, outstanding defense and position versatility. Capable of playing first, second or third base, the Yankees can return LeMahieu to second base and his familiar leadoff position in their formidable lineup.

The right-handed hitting LeMahieu, 32, could be a table setter for a lineup that features Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Giancarlo Stanton, Luke Voit, Gleyber Torres, Clint Frazier, Gio Urshela and Gary Sanchez. That’s an awesome collection of hitters for any pitcher to navigate.

It can’ be understated how important a hitter like LeMahieu, with his superb ability to get on base could mean to the Yankees. 

The objective in baseball is to score one more run than the opposition. That’s what LeMahieu does. He scores runs. Since his first All Star season in 2015, he has scored at least 85 runs in every full season. In 2019, LeMahieu scored 109 runs, got 197 hits, drove in 102 runs and had an on-base percentage of .893. He has been an All Star three times, including that 2015 season with the Rockies, again in 2017 with the Rockies, and 2019 with the Yankees.

In the shortened 2020 season, LeMahieu continued his hot hitting. He hit .364/.421/.590/.1.011 in 216 plate appearances. He struck out only 21 times. Those stats resulted in a 3.0 offensive WAR, the best in the American League.

Conclusions:

The New York Yankees could be signing two quality players in pitcher Corey Kluber and infielder DJ LeMahieu. Both impact players would help position the Yankees to contend for a World Series Championship.

Kluber comes with some risk. He showed enough in a bullpen audition session for clubs interested in his services to earn a contract from the Yankees. Other teams wanted his services. But can he stay healthy? Have his skills diminished? The Yankees would hope to use Kluber as a bulldog starter in the postseason.

LeMahieu would return to a place where he continued to flourish after leaving the Colorado Rockies. LeMahieu has the ability and the experience to be a game changing force at the top of the Yankees batting order. He can set the tone for impressive offensive damage from a pretty complete group of professional hitters.

We now await official word that Kluber and LeMahieu will become New York Yankees for the 2021 season.

Baseball fans living in New York should sit back and relax as they watch both teams add pieces to their big league rosters to get the best of their major league opponents, and their inner-city rivals.