Congrats to DJ LeMahieu. So... should the Yankees blow him away with an 8-year deal?

When DJ LeMahieu yesterday won the Silver Slugger award, the first question was simple: What position? Fact is, he could have won it at 3B or 1B. (He took 2B.) Frankly, he could have won as DH. 

Yeesh, the dude hit .364! He was, by far, the Yankee MVP. Prorated to a full season, his 10 HRs would equal about 28. He is a building block, a clubhouse leader, a clutch hitter, a potential Yank captain and the best leadoff man in baseball. 

So... how much money, and for how long, will it cost to keep him? When the bidding commences, how far into the 2020 decade should the Death Star go? 

Three years? That's easy. Five? Hmm. At the end, he'll be 37. Eight? Excuse me, I'm sweating; his contract will end with Giancarlo Stanton's. Ten? Ouch. That's Robbie Cano territory. As George C. Scott noted in Hardcore, "TURN IT OFFFFFFFF!"

So... how far? 

Keep in mind that LeMahieu, at 32, is at his career erection. Great as he is, it's hard to see him hitting .364 again. (Philosophical question: If 2020 were a full season, could he have kept it up?) He had one hell of a year. Was this his watermark?

So... how far, and how long?

Listen, the auction gavel will soon bang. And don't get me wrong: We shall not accept little-man poormouthing from Hal "Food Stamps" Steinbrenner, who sits atop the most well-greased money-machine in American pro sports. But in Hal's gold-plated world, the Yankees must decide where to appropriate their financial advantage. They already have too many hitters. Last year, Miguel Andujar barely poked his head above the fast-food stretches of Clark's Summit. Next year, they may need to move Gleyber Torres back to 2B.

So... if they have, say, $25 M a year in dip money, should Hal re-sign LeMahieu or sign a pitcher? Just asking. Because the 2020 Yankees were an airplane with seven propellers and one wing. At various points of the season, we had proven MLB hitters - Miggy and Clint Frazier - stashed in Pennsylvania, while our rotation looked like the cast of Schitt's Creek. We won the wild card. Whoopee. 

If this team is going to win a world series, it needs another stud pitcher. Brian Cashman's biggest failing has been in trading for such a beast.

So... how far with LeMahieu? It's the prime question facing the franchise this winter. Every other decision hangs in the balance. 

So... how much, and how far?