3 Most Underpaid Players on the Yankees

The New York Yankees might have the most talented team in MLB, but to get to that point, they've had to dish out a lot of cash. Just look at the contracts for Gerrit Cole, Giancarlo Stanton, and Masahiro Tanaka.

However, sometimes they get away with underpaying a player for their great performance, like these three gems.

3. Gio Urshela

Gio Urshela's fantastic 2019 did not go unnoticed. / Elsa/Getty Images

No one expected Miguel Andujar to go down with a partially torn labrum in April 2019, but when he did, Gio Urshela stepped in and performed at a level no one anticipated. His gold glove-level defense at the hot corner along with a .314 average with 21 home runs and 77 RBI came virtually out of nowhere. Even with that type of performance, Urshela is only making $2,475,000 in 2020. Granted, prior to 2019, he was an off-the-bench guy in Cleveland and Toronto and would be lucky to hit over .250, but he's done nothing but perform for the Yankees, and his paycheck doesn't reflect it.

2. Gleyber Torres

Gleyber Torres is currently one of the best young hitters in the MLB. / Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

Gleyber Torres, a former top prospect, came up to the Bronx in 2018 and immediately produced. In his two full seasons, he's accumulated 6.7 WAR, two All-Star appearances, a .275 average, 62 home runs, and 150 RBI. He had 38 of those home runs and 96 of those RBI in 2019. He struggles defensively from time to time, but his elite bat more than makes up for it. Luckily for the Yankees, because of his age, Torres is only making $675,500 in 2020, as he isn't even eligible for arbitration yet. He's putting up numbers worthy of a $100 million contract and isn't even making three-quarters of a million.

1. DJ LeMahieu

DJ LeMahieu was the surprise of the season for the 2019 Yankees. / Bob Levey/Getty Images

When Brian Cashman signed free agent DJ LeMahieu to a two-year, $24 million deal, many were unsure of how he'd fit as a contact bat in the Bronx. LeMahieu had been a Colorado Rockie his entire career. Who knew what his numbers would look like outside of Coors Field? They turned out to be elite. LeMahieu amassed an unbelievable 5.9 WAR for the Yankees in 2019, including a .327 average with 26 home runs, 102 RBI, and 109 runs scored, good enough for an All Star appearance, a Silver Slugger, and a fourth-place finish in AL MVP voting. With all that in mind, LeMahieu is only earning $12 million in 2020. If LeMahieu keeps up his performance, it's definitely realistic to see him possibly earn a hefty raise in free agency once his contract expires.