DJ LeMahieu is about to become a free agent, and the Giants could make sense as his next landing spot.
The New York Yankees designated second baseman DJ LeMahieu for assignment on Wednesday. The 15-year MLB veteran has seen his production take a significant step back over the past two seasons, but it remained a surprise to many given his contract. LeMahieu is guaranteed a $15 million salary in 2025 and 2026. Given those large commitments, he is essentially a guarantee to clear waivers, be released, and become a free agent in the coming weeks. Given the San Francisco Giants struggles at second base this season, could they emerge as LeMahieu’s next landing spot?
LeMahieu entered this season coming off an abysmal 2024. A fracture in LeMahieu’s right foot kept him out for most of the season and seemed to continue to affect him when he returned to action. LeMahieu was one of the worst hitters in MLB last season, recording a .204/.269/.259 line in 228 plate appearances with just five doubles and two home runs.
Despite the Yankees roster move, LeMahieu has actually been far more passable so far this season. His .266/.338/.336 line in 142 plate appearances is far from exceptional, but is passably below-average (90 OPS+, 95 wRC+). Defensively, he is far from the player he was when he won four Gold Glove awards, but he remains an average defender. Simply put, he’s been a perfectly mediocre starting second baseman.
The primary reason the Yankees are moving on from LeMahieu is a positional roster crunch. All-Star infielder Jazz Chisholm has been playing out of position at third base for much of the season. Without LeMahieu adding much value offensively, it became harder to justify sacrificing infield defense at both the hot corner and the keystone. Yankees manager Aaron Boone recently announced that Chisholm would be returning to second base. While LeMahieu graded out as above-average at third base in previous seasons, according to multiple metrics, the 36-year old had told the team in the offseason that the position took too much of a toll on his body to be viable.
While the Yankees had a backlog of options at second base, with no clear third baseman on their depth chart, the Giants have had the inverse problem for much of the season. LeMahieu’s mediocrity has actually outperformed the Giants’ second baseman, who have hit .238/.292/.346 (82 wRC+). If the Giants want a veteran stabilizing force to work into their second base rotation, the Visalia, California native could make a lot of sense.
Of course, the Giants may have already found an internal solution to their musical chairs rotation at second base. Matt Chapman and Casey Schmitt are both back from the injured list. With Chapman locking down the hot corner, Schmitt has been pushed off his best position to second. Schmitt’s early big-league career has been mired by inconsistency, but he is having an extremely promising start to the 2025 season.
Schmitt is hitting .271/.361/.430 with four home runs in 123 plate appearances alongside a reasonable 25.2% strikeout rate so far this season. Statcast metrics and other advanced numbers are even more bullish on Schmitt’s performance at the plate. Even if his above-average defense at third has yet to consistently translate to other infield positions, Schmitt’s offensive production could be more than enough to make up for those shortcomings.
Still, it remains early. The Giants may be bullish on Schmitt’s ability to become the everyday second baseman in 2025 and beyond, but that’s not a guarantee and none of the alternatives (Christian Koss, Brett Wisely, Tyler Fitzgerald, and Sergio Alcántara) have made themselves indispensable. It may still be worth adding LeMahieu as insurance for Schmitt or another Chapman injury.
Even in the late stages of his career, LeMahieu should be able to fill a hole for some team at second base. Soon to be available for the league minimum salary, several teams will be interested in his services. There’s a strong case to be made that the Giants should be among them.