The LeMahieu Waiting Plan is getting old, fast

Five weeks ago, the strategy looked bold and spicy, like a new jar of Gulden's: 

To show their puppylike loyalty to D.J. LeMahieu, the Yankees would make no major move this winter, waiting for The Deeje to decide where he'll play in 2021. A heartwarming show of respect to a great hitter and de facto team co-captain (with Gardy, of course.) 

This was also a cynical bargaining ploy, on the cheapo side. They made a lowball offer and sat on it, waiting out the holidays. 

The wait may be ending. According to the Internet, LeMahieu is tired of Yankee foot-dragging and Netflix binges, and he's ready to take offers from the Dodgers, Jays, Mariners and/or - (gasp) - the Money Mets. If so, the Yankees might have squandered their inside track to the man they claimed to want most of all.

So goes Cashman's quarantine...

Honestly, who knows what to make of these rumors? They could be LeMahieu's last push before re-signing. (He still claims the Yankees are his first choice.) Or has Hal Steinbrenner's self-imposed penny-pinching  finally pushed D.J. out the door? Until something pops - this week? - we are all Sergeant  Schultzes: We. Know. Nothink.

But but BUT... here is somethink: 

The longer the two sides dicker, the more other free agents sign, and the less opportunities the Yankees have to improve, with or without D.J. If he really intends to re-sign, if this is just a mating dance, we are now entering a dangerous phase, where further delays could cost us pitching. And if he's truly gone, this waiting game could be a full-blown disaster.

Full disclosure: On this, I'm around the bend. If we keep LeMahieu, Gleyber plays SS. If we don't, he moves to 2B, and we sign a glove guy, maybe Didi. Either way, we have options. 

But if this goes too long, we could end up with a gigantic hole up the middle. The wait is growing old, like the final, dried-up dabs in a jar of Gulden's. 

With or without D.J., it's time to resolve this.