Latest Dodgers-DJ LeMahieu rumor will get fans amped

The Dodgers could be among the suitors for DJ LeMahieu.

There’s been hardly any legitimate free agency/trade chatter surrounding the Los Angeles Dodgers. We could count the Nolan Arenado buzz, but we feel that’s been refuted more times than it’s been verified. So when any new offseason nugget flies across the Tweetdeck pertaining to the Dodgers, fans have to be all over it.

At this point, the most intriguing rumor we’ve heard connected Los Angeles to free agent slugger DJ LeMahieu, who has been a revelation for the New York Yankees ever since signing that bargain two-year contract prior to the 2019 season. However, he’s outperformed that $24 million deal so significantly that his market is robust even during an offseason smack dab in the middle of a global pandemic.

And now, we have the most reputable MLB source to date suggesting the Dodgers could chase LeMahieu as a replacement for Justin Turner, who, at this point, is likely to leave in free agency (at least that’s what it feels like).

Here’s the latest from ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan:

“The notion that DJ LeMahieu’s return to the New York Yankees is a fait accompli ignores the strong market that has developed around him. It’s not just the Yankees and Mets. Toronto is in. The reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers could slot LeMahieu at third base. There are others. All recognize that they’re going to need to outbid the Yankees, who have made LeMahieu their clear No. 1 priority this winter. New York has plenty more to do — figure out if Gleyber Torres really is the long-term solution at shortstop; get Gary Sanchez back to form; improve the rotation — and is trying to do so while remaining under the luxury-tax threshold. It’s an awfully difficult needle to thread for general manager Brian Cashman.”

While the Dodgers have some financial concerns of their own in terms of exceeding the luxury tax threshold, adding LeMahieu to this star-studded infield could give LA the best chance to repeat that we’ve seen in a really, really long time.

We’ve already talked about how many infield scenarios this allows manager Dave Roberts to mess around with. Plus, this isn’t anything new. The Dodgers liked DJLM back during his days with the Colorado Rockies.

The Winter Meetings start today, so perhaps we see more movement in regard to this connection. It’d surely be an earth-shattering move that could turn the offseason upside down and send the Yankees scrambling to find a high-profile infield replacement.

Maybe a 36-year-old one with a big red beard?

Is DJ LeMahieu a realistic option for Dodgers if Justin Turner leaves?

The Los Angeles Dodgers could make a run at New York Yankees star DJ LeMahieu if they don't re-sign Justin Turner this offseason.