The Yankees officially announced the signing of Brett Gardner to a one-year contract with a club option for 2021. Left-handed pitcher Stephen Tarpley was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.
Gardner unofficially returned to the Yankees in mid-December when news broke of the one-year, $12.5MM deal. As reported at the time, Gardner receives a $2MM signing bonus, $8MM salary for 2020 and a buyout for a club option in 2020 valued at $2.5MM to make up the total $12.5MM guarantee. Should the Yankees pick up their 2020 option, he will earn $20MM over two years.
Gardner is one of only five players drafted by the Yankees to collect 1,000 hits in pinstripes, joining Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Thurman Munson and Don Mattingly. He is also one of only 10 players in the current MLB to play for the same team for the last 12 seasons (Ryan Braun, Miguel Cabrera, Alex Gordon, Felix Hernandez, Clayton Kershaw, Yadier Molina, Dustin Pedroia, Joey Votto and Ryan Zimmerman). A couple players could move from this list in 2019, while Molina holds the crown for longest-tenured player in the majors having made his debut with the Cardinals in 2004.
Tarpley saw 21 games of action with the big league club in 2019 after 10 games the year prior. In total, the soon-to-be 27-year-old owns a 5.88 ERA/4.77 FIP across 33 2/3 innings with 12.6 K.9 to a troubling 5.6 BB/9. Tarpley’s DFA comes as a bit of a surprise after back-to-back stellar seasons in the minors from 2017 to 2018 as a multi-inning reliever. Even given his troubles at the big league level in 2019, Tarpley figured to get a chance somewhere to start the season in a big league bullpen.
In 2019, his ERA was 6.93 and his WHIP was 1.986. I’m not sorry to see him go, though I hate to think of him being replaced by Nick Tropeano at some point (9.88/1.756).
I’m not serious but doesn’t it feel like the Red Sox this off-season should be inking Yankees’ retreads? Again I realize it’s just one year and the team won unexpectedly in 2013 but it feels more like a Twilight Zone episode for Sox fans than anything else.
In 2017, he pitched 30 innings at the A+ level and gave up zero runs.
About time this was announced. Was wondering who was getting DFA’d
I almost think Cashman was stalling to get a trade done but it just didn’t get done.
Seems like forever ago the Bucs acquired Tarpley and Brault for Travis Snider. I thought at the time that Tarpley would be the better of the two.
Travis Snyder. Wasn’t next-gen flipped to Boston with Brock Holt for Melencon? Sorry for butchering the name.
Tarpley was flipped with Polo for Nova.
Snider ended up resigning with the Bucs
Hanrahan and Holt went to Boston for Melancon, Stolmy Pimental, and Jerry Sands. How’s that for some forgotten names. Trade worked out for the Bucs but I’d say Holt has done very well for himself. Wouldn’t mind seeing him back on a cheap deal if we end up dealing Frazier and/or Bell.
Thanks Kermit. I was too lazy to look it up until now. Not part of the trade but the Sox in 2013 had Brandon Snyder and that year he and Holt kept flip flopping as the 25th man. Snyder seemed to play more but I loved then Holt’s hustling. That said, he seemed to be over matched as a hitter which he obviously was then. I love Holt for off the field stuff but that wouldn’t matter if he didn’t work hard to become a real major leaguer.
I watched Tarpley a couple times in Charleston. I thought he was pretty good. I would say he gets another shot somewhere else.
I’m sure someone that’s desperate for bullpen help will give him another shot despite the fact he was absolutely dreadful last year.
Angels
Gardner is useless in October. Worst playoff stats of all-time.
He does his share helping the team get to the postseason. 4.0 WAR. That’s worth something too. I’m a big fan of Kershaw, too. And I liked Price even before he overcame his postseason curse.
If you’re going to troll, at least put some effort into it. Take pride in your work.
He should be benched in the playoffs.
@todd76
In favor of who? That’s the point. He DOES contribute in other ways tho. Defensively, he’s still above average.
That’s one achilles heal the Yanks suffer from. Hicks is a good talent but is often injured. Gardner is the ONLY mlb caliber CF the Yanks have outside of Gardner. Tauchman I guess might be a good 4th OF but we really have to see if he can hit like he did in 2019. Not so much the power but the hitting in other ways. I wish the Yanks would acquire a glove first CF we can hinde in AAA if Gardner get’s injured.
I’m glad Popeye is got another couple yr playing in the Bronx, he really deserved it….coming from a RS fan. I am a fan of deserved players before all the Evil Empire fans jump all over me.
I feel the same way about certain RS players. I have a lot of respect for Betts, Devers, and Bogaerts, and I have a sneaking suspicion that Sale could bounceback something fierce this year, and if he does and Price holds his own the RS might not have that offish year so many are predicting. I never count the RS out until the magic number says so.
I’m a yanks fan . My buddies used to give me crap all the time cause I was a big fan of youk.
Even though I’m a Yankee fan I have a lot of respect for Betts, Devers, and Bogaerts. At the same time I have a sneaking suspicion that Sale could bounceback something fierce this year. If that happens and Price holds his own the RS might not have that offish year so many are predicting. I never count the RS out until the magic number says so.
No reason to think they can’t compete. It is mostly the same team that won the WS.
@Joe Says…
I thought they were a good enough team last year but were a little sluggish and the injuries to their pitchers.
Good to see Yankees and Red Sox has turned into a bromance
LOL don’t worry the season hasn’t started yet
I still hate the Sox, but I do like certain players.
I’d give tarpley a shot if I had an opening in the bullpen. If he can get the walks sorted out he’d be a nice arm to have.
Totally agree. Way too early to write him off.
Hasn’t Waino been with the Cardinals for 14 seasons?
One name is missing.. only 9 showing so maybe that is the mistake
Ha, my mistake.. it should be at least 11 players listed
Waino drafted by Braves
It says played for, not drafted by and played for. Waino should be on that list.
Otherwise Cabrerra wouldn’t be on, he was drafted by the Marlins.
He got a dollar for each time he pounded the dugout ceiling. What’s he gonna do to the robots?
Wildly overblown. Classless, childish RS trashing another Yankee thread. Can’t control yourself. Like a child with no effective pre-frontal cortex. Worst hater on the site. Gardner will love the robots. For once he’ll get accuracy and consistency. And honesty.
So he got 10 dollars for every time he pounded the dugout ceiling? 100 dollars? 1000 dollars? Should I go back to the video and count the number of times? Then I can calculate the exact amount. Because that’s what he did. Pounded the dugout ceiling. Not making it up. That’s what he did. .511 OPS in 61 postseason games. He’s not getting paid for THAT, so it MUST be the dugout ceiling pounding. Boom, boom, boom, boom.
Ping, ping, ping if it was an aluminum bat.
He did not pound the ceiling a fraction of the times you claim. You are making it up. That’s why I say wildly overblown, hater. And you know as well as I do he wasn’t paid a cent to bang the roof. That’s what haters do. Wildly exaggerate. Can’t control yourself.
Maybe we should count the number of times you’ve made no sense with your comments instead….we’ll definitely make more money that way!
Thanks for keeping with the script as far as continued nonsense and idiocy!
I could say the same thing about your comments, “rocky.” You’re classless and childish, like wayhazy. A classless, childish hater crapping on a Yankee thread, because you can’t help yourself.
Think we’ll all agree you belong in the same class as xaibal and clepto so feel free not to try to throw people under the bus here. I actually enjoy rocky’s comments
you seem to be ignoring the fact that wayhazy started this whole food fight sub-thread by once again shatting in a Yankees thread. (He does it multiple times a week; can’t help himself.) clepto refuses to talk baseball (if you look through this comment board you’ll see my original comments here were all baseball) and all he does is swoop in and attack people like a troll. All I’m doing is putting a hater in his place. Entirely different.
As for rocky I’ve enjoyed some of his comments too. I upvoted his comment on catcher framing in the robot umping article. But he came in here and dumped on me without justification. I’m not going to appreciate that comment.
Understandable but if you read all the comments in this thread half of your posts weren’t about baseball it was attacking anyone who disagreed. Like right below this tb made his comment, his opinion and your first line is “dime a dozen hater, TB. Dime a dozen”. If you were as knowledgeable as you think then you’d be working for a MLB team. This site is a collection of armchair GMs, that includes you. Anyways good for gardener he might not produce in the playoffs but I’ve been a fan of his for a while.
@Mo4ever….hey man…you’re right and I did come after your comment much too negatively…will resist the urge to criticize next time and exercise more finess with regards to a reply.
You know what….I;m going to take the high road with you…..and you should know that my comment was directed at Wayhayzee for his childish attacks on anything Yankee on every thread he comments on. Next time, take the time to read and see who the comments are directed at pal!
@whyhayzee
And that’s an issue, why? If you noticed, the team rallied around him at some point. Every time a hitter got a big hit they pretended to be hitting the ceiling with a bat.
Newsflash, as long as his teammates and front office are cool with it then no one really cares how you feel about it., Not attacking you per se.
Guy is a total tool. Bad example for the younger players.
Dime a dozen hater, TB. Dime a dozen. I followed it. 90% of the time Gardner “argued” balls and strikes he was right. 90%. I would do the same thing. Any player should. Bring on the robots and we’ll solve this once and for all.
And the bat flipping modern players all around the league are good examples? Oh, I forgot, they’re just selling their brand…well Gardners brand is just plain Yankee baseball!
He’s right to complain, pure and simple. So are most hitters who do. Just watch pitch tracker. You’ll see. Guess that’s nonsense to you, though.
So when a strike was called a ball did he tell the ump that was the wrong call 90% of the time? Then go pound the ceiling? I don’t think so. How many times did he benefit from missed calls? Do we have that number? I don’t think so. The umps giveth and the umps taketh away. Nobody seems to mind when they benefit but the big babies pound the ceiling when they don’t. Swing the bat at the baseball you big baby. Don’t take close pitches and then whimper like a little boy. This is the big leagues.
You like short sentences eh?
Very immature behavior for even a young player to do. He’s supposed to be a ‘leader’. Looks like an idiot doing that stuff and sets a very poor example. Boone just stands there like a deer in headlights. Roid rage issues I’m assuming.
Now come the conspiracy theory accusations. Just waiting for that, brucehater. From you. no less. Typical hater. Well maybe you should assume Papi’s age 40 accomplishments on the worst feet in baseball couldn’t happen without roids. Try that on.
Maybe he was signalling the pitch. No wait, that was Cora. How many games suspension will Cora get?
Hope someone snaps him. Would be more than glad to see Tarpley go. He’s atrocious. Would love to bring back a veteran like Cory Gearrin, if there is a roster spot.
Agreed. I wasn’t happy with Gearrin’s 1-3 record but his 4.07 ERA and 1.446 WHIP (55.1 IP) were respectable given the depth position he was filling. As I noted above, Tarpley was 6.93 and 1.986 (24.2 IP). Ugh. And ERA+ was 101 vs. 65.
While I don’t have his numbers in front of me, I thought Cortez showed some signs of a good bullpen arm.
I remember when he couldn’t buy a hit try…
could they move from the list in 2020 though??
Bernie Williams had over 2000 hits
Yes, he did. But he wasn’t drafted by the Yankees, which is what the article stated. So he wouldn’t be one of them.
In the second paragraph of the article,
shouldn’t TC Zencka have written “Should the Yankees pick up his (Gardner’s) 2021 option, he will earn $20MM over two years.”
TC wrote the year 2020 where it appears that 2021 would be more accurate.
Doesnt make sense to keep this dude around. He hasn’t been good in 5 years.
Gardner didn’t play less than 140 games in any season from 2015-2019. His WAR over that time is a total of 18.2, or an average of 3.6. His ‘worst’ season was 2018 with 2.8 WAR. In 2016, he was a Gold Gloves recipient.
* Your post doesn’t make sense.
Yes it does. Its just a fact.
Wow you are clueless about baseball.
Seems that you and the definition of the word fact need to spend more time together.
He hit 28 bombs last year, though.
Sign him Baltimore
I think An Interesting question you ask is:
1. Is he a hall of famer?
2. If yes, is he a first ballot hall of famer?
(My op: yes on both and I can’t wait to bring my grandkids to monument park and show them the like of Ruth, Gehrig and Gardner!
It’s a Gardy party!
I understand DFAing Tarpley but I saw potential in him in 2019… obviously consistency is fleeting for the majority of pitchers who even make it to the bigs.
In spring training he had an impressive sinker that he was locating well with good movement and pretty good velocity (considering it was a sinker not a 4 seamer).
Then his highlight of 2019 was an extra-innings multi-inning appearance in Wrigley where he struck out (I think) six batters all with sliders.
If he could harness both pitches…
What about Adam Wainwright?
Tarpley really needed to go, just like Cortes Jr. and Adams, who were also total trash.
Watch the Mariners pick him up, just watch. I have no idea of who will get him, obviously, but it seems like they like to pick up Yankee trash.
Theoooooooooooooooo!