DJ LeMahieu Says 'There's No Doubt' Yankees Are Ready to Win World Series

New York Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu said he rejoined the Yanks in free agency because he's confident the club is in position to win the 2021 World Series.

LeMahieu, who signed a six-year, $90 million contract, discussed his outlook Thursday:

The 32-year-old has been one of the American League's best hitters since initially signing with the Yankees in 2019. The former longtime Colorado Rockie finished fourth in AL MVP voting in his first season with the team and came in third last year after winning the batting title with a .364 average.

The California native has posted a .922 OPS with 36 home runs in 195 games for New York. He ranks 12th among all MLB hitters in WAR (7.8) since the start of the 2019 campaign, per FanGraphs.

Bringing back LeMahieu to serve as the leadoff hitter was crucial for a Yankees lineup filled with power hitters. The team could post historic home run numbers if Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, who've both dealt with injury problems in recent years, are able to stay healthy.

New York's biggest question in terms of contending for a title is the performance of its starting pitchers behind ace Gerrit Cole.

It's not a group short on talent—Corey Kluber, Jameson Taillon, Jordan Montgomery and Domingo German—but there are questions about what to expect because of recent injuries.

In December, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters he's hopeful 2021 will bring a return to normalcy that last season didn't have because of COVID-19:

"It's difficult to play and succeed at this level, and I think when you add little layers to everything every single day, it just made it more challenging day-in and day-out across the board. As a player, you try and just get into this routine where you're kind of grinding it out and grinding through it. When you add little layers that make it a little more difficult, it just makes it that much more of a grind, and I think that's probably why, on some level, you had some unreliable performances. Because of all the uncertainty and all the layers that got thrown on top of the game this year."

If LeMahieu's prediction is accurate, few teams, if any, have more raw potential than the Yankees and that would give them legitimate championship hopes heading into the new season.

Signing LeMahieu to a new deal was another boost to those hopes.