It wasn’t the infield signing that many Yankees fans hoped it would be, but the Bombers did sign free agent second baseman DJ LeMahieu to a two-year deal last week, going over the luxury tax threshold to do so. No, not by as much as they would have if they signed Manny Machado, but given the team’s recent strategy, taking on financial penalties is at the very bottom of the team’s wish list. So why go over for LeMahieu, while leaving Machado on the market to field eight-year offers from other interested teams?
The answer likely lies with defense.