The New York Yankees need to make a change to their infield. They have lost their lead in the American League East, and DJ LeMahieu continues to underachieve.
Not only is LeMahieu struggling at the plate and in the field, but he is also forcing the Yankees to play Jazz Chisholm Jr. at third base. Chisholm is not great defensively at third base. LeMahieu is clearly no longer a reliable starter for the Yankees, and FanSided’s Adam Weinrib tabbed Otto Lopes of the Miami Marlins as a “perfect fit” to replace LeMahieu.
“Fresh off a series in which he absolutely terrorized the Arizona Diamondbacks, Lopez is now hitting .260 with eight homers and 40 RBI, racking up 2.4 bWAR (a higher total than Cody Bellinger, who we can all agree has been very good),” wrote Weinrib. “The 26-year-old has ably covered second and short so far this season, and while we all know RISP stats are finicky and not necessarily predictive, he’s been an absolute killer when the heat is on, hitting .373 in 78 plate appearances with three homers and 31 RBI.”
Lopez is more than a rental. He has four-plus years of club control. He is slashing .253/.324/.379 with eight home runs on the season. While adding Lopez would not allow the Yankees to move Chisholm off of third base, it would upgrade their infield as a whole.
Lopez will not be a cheap addition. However, LeMahieu’s time with the Yankees is clearly nearing an end, and should probably already be over. He is no longer the Gold Glove-winning All-Star he once was. The Yankees have World Series aspirations, and it is hard to justify keeping LeMahieu in the lineup.
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LeMahieu is slashing .254/.333/.331 on the year. His OPS+ is at 89, and he is no longer able to play reliable defense. He still has another year left on his deal, but the Yankees need to put an end to his time as a starter in New York.
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