The Yankees signing D.J. LeMahieu appears to me to be part of a much larger strategy:

New York agreed to a two-year, $24 million contract with free-agent second baseman DJ LeMahieu on Friday afternoon, a source confirmed to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The agreement is pending a physical, and the club has not confirmed.

LeMahieu was one of the top second basemen available on a free-agent market that was crowded at that position. The two-time All-Star was a three-time Gold Glove Award winner in his seven seasons with the Rockies, including in 2018. Despite that stellar reputation at second, the Yankees view LeMahieu as versatile and plan to use him at first and third base as well, according to Feinsand.

MLB.com

The Yankees already signed Troy Tulowitzki as an insurance policy on Didi Gregorius‘s recovery from Tommy John surgery. They have young, good players Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar on the infield. They have Greg Bird and Luke Voit at first base, although at this point I have my doubts about Bird living up to his hype. In other words, the Yankees could find themselves next July with six or seven very good players on the infield. If they sign Maddy Machado, that would go to eight.

My guess is that a big move behind this is to get more prospects in the end. They signed LeMahieu cheaply. He is a solid two WAR player, and they got him for 75% of his value. That’s a contract that is easily moved.* The Blue Jays are paying Tulowitkzi’s contract, so that’s another one that is easily moved. If Gregorius proves healthy, he could bring a number of prospects as well.

*I believe players who are traded in their first year of a free agent contract can opt-out, but I suspect that could be overcome given the right suitor.

This is basically what New York did with Aroldis Chapman. They bought low due to his suspension, and flipped him for prospects. Right now, the Yankees are using their payroll flexibility to build depth for potential trades. They are playing a very long game, one that could lead not just to a quick championship, but to a decade long domination similar to the Braves of 20 years ago.