Not long after agreeing to terms on a one-year contract with the 2017 National League batting champion, the Colorado Rockies did the same with the 2016 champ.
Multiple reports on Friday morning announced that the Rockies and centerfielder Charlie Blackmon had a agreed to a one-year deal worth $14 million, avoiding arbitration in the process.
On Friday afternoon, news broke that they had also reached an agreement with second baseman DJ LeMahieu. MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman first reported the deal, worth $8.5 million.
LeMahieu, rockies settle at $8.5M
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 12, 2018
Both Blackmon and LeMahieu were entering their final year of team control.
LeMahieu is a two-time All-Star (2015, ’17), two-time Gold Glove winner (2014, ’17) and winner of the 2016 N.L. batting title.
The 29-year-old appeared in a career-high 155 games for the Rockies in 2017, compiling a .310 /.374/.409 slash line. He had eight home runs and 64 RBIs with 95 runs scored.
Defensively, LeMahieu logged 1,302 innings at second base last year. He committed just eight errors on 729 chances and played a part in turning 106 double plays. The Rockies as a team ranked second in the National League in double plays turned per game with 1.04 in 2017.
LeMahieu will more than double his salary from 2017, when he made $4.8 million. He is eligible for free agency in 2019.
