Two All-MLB First Team selections, two Silver Sluggers and two top-five MVP finishes.
Three All-Star appearances.
Four Gold Glove awards.
Fifteen seasons with 1,772 hits in 1,673 games.
The first player in the Modern Era to win a batting title in both the National and American Leagues.
These awards and stats are proof of a remarkable MLB career.
They belong to DJ LeMahieu.
A second-round pick in the 2009 MLB Draft, LeMahieu came to Colorado via trade after playing 37 games with the Chicago Cubs in 2011. Little could anyone have imagined the incredible impact LeMahieu would have in Colorado and in Major League Baseball.
That’s why it was hard to see the former Rockie designated for assignment by the New York Yankees on Wednesday. LeMahieu’s six-year, $90 million contract goes through 2026 and the Yankees still owe him $22 million with $15 million of that due next season. On Thursday, the Yankees released LaMahieu, just three days shy of his 37th birthday.
Now a free agent, if another team is interested in LeMahieu’s services, they would only have to pay the league minimum salary on a prorated deal. Considering LeMahieu’s injury troubles and slowed production in the last few seasons, MLB Trade Rumors places a high probability on an interested team just offering him a minor league deal — if any offers come at all.
So what’s next for DJ, and should the Rockies bring him back to Colorado?
The injuries in 2024 and 2025
First, it’s important to look at his struggles this season and last.
This season, LeMahieu suffered a left calf strain at the end of spring training that delayed his 2025 season debut to May 13. The injury, and his age, seemed to limit LeMahieu’s mobility at third base where the Yankees needed him. A move to second didn’t help much either and on Tuesday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the Visalia, Calif. native would be moving to the bench.
Then he was cut.
In 45 games this season, LeMahieu has slashed .266/.338/.336 with a .674 OPS with two homers and three doubles in 128 at-bats.
Foot and hip injuries significantly hampered LeMahieu’s 2024 campaign as he was only able to play in 67 games, the fewest of his career. It’s not surprising then that his -1.6 WAR from 2024 and 0.7 WAR from this season are the lowest since his rookie season with the Cubs.
In his five previous seasons in New York, LeMahieu was a reliable utility infielder who averaged 121 games per season and slashed .285/.358/.430. He played first base, second base and third base, while also filling in as a designated hitter and pinch hitter.
LeMahieu was great in his seven years in Colorado, but it’s possible he was even better in New York, especially in his first five seasons.
DJ LaMahieu’s 15 MLB Seasons
Season
Age
Team
WAR
G
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
BB
SO
BA
OBP
SLG
OPS
Pos
Awards
Season
Age
Team
WAR
G
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
BB
SO
BA
OBP
SLG
OPS
Pos
Awards
2011
22
CHC
-0.2
37
60
3
15
2
0
0
4
1
12
.250
.262
.283
.546
4H5/3
2012
23
COL
1.4
81
229
26
68
12
4
2
22
13
42
.297
.332
.410
.742
4/5H63
2013
24
COL
1.1
109
404
39
113
21
3
2
28
19
67
.280
.311
.361
.673
45H/36
2014
25
COL
0.8
149
494
59
132
15
5
5
42
33
97
.267
.315
.348
.663
*4/536H
Gold Glove
2015
26
COL
2
150
564
85
170
21
5
6
61
50
107
.301
.358
.388
.746
*4/H
All Star
2016
27
COL
5.4
146
552
104
192
32
8
11
66
66
80
.348
.416
.495
.911
*4/H
MVP-15
2017
28
COL
3
155
609
95
189
28
4
8
64
59
90
.310
.374
.409
.783
*4/H
AS,GG
2018
29
COL
2.9
128
533
90
147
32
2
15
62
37
82
.276
.321
.428
.749
*4/H
GG
2019
30
NYY
5.6
145
602
109
197
33
2
26
102
46
90
.327
.375
.518
.893
453/HD
AS,MVP-4,SS
2020
31
NYY
3
50
195
41
71
10
2
10
27
18
21
.364
.421
.590
1.011
435/HD
MVP-3,SS
2021
32
NYY
1.6
150
597
84
160
24
1
10
57
73
94
.268
.349
.362
.711
435/HD
2022
33
NYY
3.6
125
467
74
122
18
0
12
46
67
71
.261
.357
.377
.734
543/HD
GG
2023
34
NYY
1.3
136
497
55
121
22
3
15
44
60
125
.243
.327
.390
.718
53/4HD
2024
35
NYY
-1.6
67
201
19
41
5
0
2
26
19
35
.204
.269
.259
.527
35/H
2025
36
NYY
0.7
45
128
13
34
3
0
2
12
14
35
.266
.338
.336
.674
4/H
Total
15 Y
All
30.7
1673
6132
896
1772
278
39
126
663
575
1048
.289
.350
.409
.759
453HD/6
2012-18
7Y
COL
16.6
918
3385
498
1011
161
31
49
345
277
565
.299
.352
.408
.760
*45H/63
2019-25
7Y
NYY
14.2
718
2687
395
746
115
8
77
314
297
471
.278
.351
.412
.763
453HD
Baseball Reference
DJ the Rockie
In seven seasons in Colorado, LeMahieu earned three Gold Gloves at second base and was selected for the All-Star Game twice. His .348 batting average in 2016 not only won the NL batting title that year, but also ranks No. 8 on Colorado’s all-time, single-season record book where six of the spots above him are held by Hall of Famers Todd Helton and Larry Walker.
LeMahieu was a key part of the Rockies back-to-back playoff appearances in 2017 and 2018. When the Rockies failed to re-sign him following the 2018 season, it seemed to be the tipping point of a collapse of a higher-quality roster and competitive play. In a rare moment of public accountability and regret, Dick Monfort later expressed his error in letting LeMahieu go.
“In hindsight, losing DJ LeMahieu was a big deal,” Monfort said at a press conference before the 2021 season. “In hindsight, I wish we could’ve figured out a way to keep DJ. We wish we could redo that…. I know DJ wanted to stay a Rockie. His agent said that.”
Instead, LeMahieu elected free agency after the 2018 season and signed with the Yankees for the same amount of money — a two-year deal worth $24 million — that Colorado gave Daniel Murphy, who utterly failed in an attempt to replace him.
Should the Rockies bring LeMahieu back?
The case for DJ’s return
A reunion with LeMahieu would be a very Rockies move. They like what they know, and they know that LeMahieu is the one that got away. LeMahieu’s current batting average of .266 would rank tied for second among Rockies qualified players, just behind Hunter Goodman’s .280 and tied with Jordan Beck. Plus, LeMahieu could come cheaper than the MLB minimum salary of $760,000, which would be at a prorated rate of less than half a million dollars for the rest of the 2025 season.
In addition, LeMahieu is still friends with Charlie Blackmon, who now serves as a special assistant to GM Bill Schmidt. LeMahieu has now played with one of the best organizations in baseball and could bring veteran leadership to the team. He’s also the type of guy — a good person in the community — that the Rockies like. For example, he purchased his high school’s baseball facility in Michigan about five years ago and turned part of it into a youth baseball facility for the community.
“I saw an opportunity to positively impact baseball at Brother Rice and help the next generations of baseball players in and around the area where I grew up,” LeMahieu told a Detroit news channel at the time.
When all the numbers are added up, LeMahieu is one of the best players in Rockies history and, definitely, the best second baseman the team has ever had. During an era when Rockies fans don’t have a lot going for them, this could be an inexpensive gesture to not only bring DJ back, but also have him possibly retire as a Rockie. After all, what do the Rockies have to lose? Certainly not any more games than they are already losing.
The case for passing on DJ
On the other hand, the Rockies have a young roster full of players looking to prove themselves, and they don’t need more players who are past their prime. DJ was great, but bringing him back now is a “future of nostalgia” move that won’t bring back the 2018 DJ, only memories of better days.
Plus, the Rockies already signed utilityman Kyle Farmer and second baseman Thairo Estrada in the offseason to fill the vacancy left when the team non-tendered Brendan Rodgers. Farmer is inked to a one-year, $3.25 million deal. Farmer, 34, has played in 66 games and is hitting .219/.262/.348, while Estrada, 29, signed a one-year, $4 million deal. He’s played in 29 games and is hitting .284/.312/.397.
It’s hard to imagine Colorado bringing in LeMahieu unless they’re willing to cut either Estrada or Farmer. Having played just 102 games combined last season and this season, LeMahieu’s reliability moving forward is now in question.
The answer
One of my favorite memories at Coors Field stars DJ LeMahieu. He hit a two-run, walk-off homer to send up the fountains in center field and send the Diamondbacks home with a 5-4 loss. Not only was it thrilling — I still remember Blackmon and Ian Desmond dumping the Gatorade on DJ — but it was a key win that led to Game 163 vs. the Dodgers, the Wild Card win vs. the Cubs and an appearance in the National League Division Series.
But that was seven years ago, and this is now.
Unfortunately for the Rockies, they messed up big time when they let LeMahieu go. They can’t, and shouldn’t, try to fix it now by bringing him back. The path to a winning future is not “the future of nostalgia” but is instead the future of the current, young roster.
Poll
Should the Rockies sign free agent DJ LeMahieu and bring him back to Colorado?
26%
Only if they make numerous trades and roster changes
(5 votes)
19 votes total
★ ★ ★
On the farm
Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 3, Round Rock Express 2, (10)
Sam Hilliard doubled in the ninth inning and came around to score on a Sterlin Thompson sac fly to tie the game at 2-2 and send it to extra innings. In the 10th, Jose Torres hit a one-out single to score ghost runner Warming Bernabel, and Nick Anderson threw a perfect inning in the bottom of the frame to carry the Isotopes to victory on Thursday night.
Playing DH, Ezequiel Tovar went 0-for-4 with a strikeout, while Adael Amador hit an RBI double to put Albuquerque on the board in the third and cut Round Rock’s lead to 2-1. Tanner Gordon started the game and pitched well, giving up two runs on six hits with 10 strikeouts in six innings.
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 3, Portland Sea Dogs 2, (10)
Charlie Condon hit a one-out single to drive in the go-ahead run, Juan Guerrero hit a sacrifice fly for insurance and the Hartford Yard Goats pulled off a 10th-inning win on Thursday. Hartford first scored in the opening frame when Condon drew a two-out walk and came around to score when Guerrero and Benny Montgomery hit back-to-back singles.
Jack Mahoney had a solid start for the Yard Goats, giving up one run on five hits with four strikeouts in six innings. Five more relievers held the Sea Dogs scoreless over the following four innings to give the offense a chance for the comeback.
High-A: Spokane Indians 7, Eugene Emeralds 4
EJ Andrews Jr. hit a two-run homer, Blake Wright added a solo shot and Tevin Tucker went 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored to help Spokane earn the win. Five of Spokane’s runs came in the third inning, helping the Indians jump out to a 7-1 lead. Scoring one run in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth inning, the Emeralds comeback came up short.
Single-A: San Jose Giants 6, Fresno Grizzlies 1
Committing fielding errors makes it tough to win. If a team commits six errors, winning becomes nearly impossible as Fresno found out on Thursday night.
San Jose scored two runs in the first and sealed the win with another three runs in the fifth on Thursday night. Down 6-0, the Grizzlies finally got on the board in the sixth when Juan Castillo and Yeiker Reyes led off with back-to-back singles and Castillo came around to score on a Derek Bernard groundout. Bryan Mena took the loss for Fresno, giving up five runs, only three earned, on six hits with one walk and six strikeouts in 4 1⁄3 innings. Unfortunately, Mena also had threw of the errors, two on failed pickoff attempts and another on a throw.
★ ★ ★
Will Ethan Holliday, son of Matt, be available for Rockies at No. 4 pick? | Denver Gazette ($)
Kevin Henry looks ahead to Sunday’s draft, analyzing the odds of Colorado drafting the son of one of the franchise’s best players.
How to Fix the Colorado Rockies: A Focus on Speed | Mile High Sports
Drew Creasman makes a solid argument that more base stealing would not only make it more fun to watch the Rockies, but also help them get on the right path to winning.
Rockies’ Pitching Staff Could Go Down as Worst in MLB History | Sports Illustrated
Not exactly the most cheery piece, but it’s also hard to argue it’s wrong.
★ ★ ★
Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!