Brett Gardner is back for a 14th season with the Yankees. The team announced this morning that Gardner has been re-signed to a one-year deal with a player option for the 2022 season. The Meister Sports client will reportedly be paid $2.85MM in 2021, with a $2.3MM player option for a second season. If Gardner declines his player option, the Yankees can pick up a $7.15MM club option or buy him out at $1.15MM. Luis Severino, who is recovering from 2020 Tommy John surgery, was placed on the 60-day injured list to open roster space.
The Yankees declined Gardner’s $10MM option for 2021 in favor of a $2.5MM after last season, but the new agreement hardly comes as any kind of shock. After all, the 37-year-old has been a career-long member of the club since he debuted in 2008 and remains an asset despite his advanced age.
Gardner is still adept at handling both left and center field, and he posted yet another above-average offensive showing in 2020. While his batting average wasn’t good, his overall .223/.354/.392 line in 158 plate appearances was around 10 percent better than the league-average mark, according to both OPS+ and wRC+. He’s also an immensely respected member of the team’s clubhouse.
If Gardner does return to the Yankees in 2021, he would serve as a highly qualified fourth outfielder on a team that has Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks and Clint Frazier lined up to start in the grass, with designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton also likely to cycle in at right field from time to time.
The Yankees are aiming to stay under the $210MM luxury-tax threshold this year, and their deal with Gardner is the latest example of that. The Yankees have used split player/club options as a means of weighing down their luxury obligations. Because Gardner is unlikely to pick up that $2.3MM player option when he’s guaranteed at least the $1.15MM buyout on the club option anyway, his contract effectively amounts to a one-year deal with a club option. However, because player options are technically considered guaranteed money, that lowers the average annual value of the contract to $2.575MM; a traditional one-year deal with the club option and the same guarantee would’ve clocked in at $4MM.
It’s the same approach the Yankees took in their contracts with both Darren O’Day and Justin Wilson. None of the individual deals is likely to save them more than a million-plus in luxury room, but taken in totality they’ve probably trimmed back $3-4MM of luxury breathing room by brokering a series of player options that are all unlikely to be exercised.
With Gardner back in the fold, the Yankees’ luxury obligations sit just shy of $204MM, per Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez, although the specifics of Wilson’s deal aren’t yet known and will further push that sum toward the $210MM threshold. In all likelihood, the Yankees will leave themselves a few million dollars of breathing room to allow some in-season dealings as needs arise.
Ken Davidoff of the New York Post first reported that the two sides had agreed to a new deal, and MLB Network’s Jon Heyman added details on the contract’s structure. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported the exact breakdown.
bring back Gardy !!!
Ok
if you believe in some stats, what does it say about the sport in general if Hardy’s production was 10% above the league average?
if you believe in some stats, what does it say about the sport in general if Gardy’s production was 10% above the league average?
What stat are you looking at? wRC+ is 110, but that is basically ability to create runs. And, yeah, it’s a stat. Not the all telling stat. That’s kind of the the thing, numbers and facts generally don’t lie, it’s how you tell the story that can stretch reality.
I don’t look at the so called advanced metrics but was commenting about the article mentioning his so called app slash line was 10% above average. Looking at it, he had a lousy short season but was important in the playoffs. I think Gardy is still a fine 4th outfielder who will be clutch at times. For his stats to be what they are and be considered above average is my point. The game has gotten away from baseball and more resembles a video game. Just put a controller in each manager’s hands…
I think its more you don’t understand the stats either because you don’t care to learn or you’re not smart enough.
Ops + factors in lots of things besides ops..there is park factor and how his numbers match up against the rest of the hitters.
They may have a point. Did the league stop hitting last year? A .392 slugging percentage in a well-known hitter’s park, and he’s still 10% better than league average.
Actually, digging a little further, Gardner had a .747 OPS, resulting in a 108 OPS+. Dansby Swanson had an .809 OPS, resulting in a 110 OPS+. Luis Robert had a .738 OPS, resulting in a 101 OPS+. How much is Gardner’s agent paying the good people at Baseball Reference?
Rob, your partially right as the fun has been taken out of the game by Bill James and his disciples. Garbage on, garbage out. too many variables in my view to rely on most newer stats. To me, the object is to score more than your opponent and it doesn’t matter how you do it. Players on the mound now are throwers not pitchers. Having so many on the roster reduces the bench and strategy. Once again stretched out, go back to an 11 max staff and they will be forced to stop overthrowing and will again learn how to pitch.
No Bill James put a ton of fun back into baseball.
This is nothing new. The sabermetrics trope that you can’t trust your eyes is only partially true. Advanced metrics quantifies a lot of what a few people could see with their eyes but not adequately explain when the bulk of fans were fixated on counting and measuring stats like wins for a pitcher, RBIs, and fielding percentage without really understanding how little they had to do with performance and value to a team winning. Was it really fun when we thought Larry Bowa was a great fielder?
I mean, I feel like this speaks to how well he is still able to get on base. If you compare his OBP to Robert’s it makes perfect sense (.354 v. .302). Gardner has never been a power hitter, so wondering how he manages a .392 slugging is not very hard to comprehend. Simply because you fail to understand straight forward statistics does not mean Gardner’s agent is paying someone off lol.
Marc_from_Brooklyn10 hours ago
This is nothing new. The sabermetrics trope that you can’t trust your eyes is only partially true. Advanced metrics quantifies a lot of what a few people could see with their eyes but not adequately explain
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This is the post of the year, and I expect it to stay that way.
45 years ago, I was trying to figure out who was more deserving of starting at 2B for the AS game, Carew or Grinch. Carew had those magnificent averages and beautiful swing, but Grich did everything else better.
I came to the conclusion that Grich was marginally better based on the glove and the power. It wasn’t even a discussion you could have then, and I am not sure how many people believe it now. But a scan of fWAR/650 show Grich with the higher number.
Ron Gardenhire was never with the Yanks.
Of course they are.
he’s well worth bringing back he’s got another one left in the tank
Oh believe me, I agree that he is worth it. I’m 100% on the side of bringing him back to NY. He’s been degraded way too much by people recently when he’s still a good bench bat. I just said of course they are because I knew it would happen.
He’s still playing the game with as much grit n class as he was 10 years ago to me he’s a simple choice to bring back hopefully he can get that 2nd ring he deserves
His deranged antics in the dugout are an example of class?
that was a one game thingg that turned into more of a theoretical motivation theme for the boys and it stayed in 2019 never any other year has this happened. are you offended because a player hit his bat against the dugout roof? where were you when bo broke the bat, pauly o’Neill threw water coolers to 1st base, please get less sensitive it’s an emotional game.
Theatrical not theoretical
Love it Rangers29, you’re spot-on.
That was not one game. The dugout roof says otherwise.
The dugout thing was not limited to a single game. Paul O’Neil was super annoying with his constant whining, but he was not part of this conversation so why would I bring him up?
one game turned into a continuous theatrical form of motivation for the remainder of the year. for me, yeah I could have done without it, but it was adopted as the ‘theme’ for that season. I brought up Bo Jackson and Pauly as past examples of ‘antics’. your comment came off as as if you were overly sensitive and offended. apologies if I ranted misinformed.
rangerdude? When you talk that song comes up. “Eye meme mine”.
By bench bat, do you mean pounding a bat into the bench ??
Three years $45 million?
At least.
15 million/year?! Did you miss the fact the Yanks declined to pay him $10 million this year? ♂️
Gardner will be luck to get another $3-4 million tops over the $2.5 million buy out they already paid him.
I don’t think you get the joke.
Dave203
15 million/year?!
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If you thought he was serious about $45M/3, you might be the only person in this country of 330,000,000 people that actually thought he was seriously.
That’s a pretty good accomplishment.
As if we didn’t see this coming.
I wasn’t too sure.
I’m good with GGBG.
Cashman is having a pretty good February. Last year after Cole it seemed like he basically hung a “gone fishin” sign on his door & quit going to the office.
Media….um, I mean, “Yankees” really pushing hard to make this happen
A really rough Yankee offseason is about to get worse. Wow. Just let go already. He is toast!
Seriously. He does nothing now but block young players. They’re fine without him.
Okay, I’ll bite. He had a .747 OPS, and can play CF & LF. Which of the kids is going to better off of the bench?
Mike Tauchman has three times as many defensive runs saved since 2019 in 62% of the innings in the outfield, plus a higher AVG and OBP and the same wRC+ … and he’s cheaper and younger.
@Mr.Person- It definitely looks like Greg Allen or Michael Tauchman will take the fall with Gardy coming back. I was really ready for him to start thinking about retirement and maybe get in to coaching. Think his playing days are behind him now. Clint Frazier already has been announced as the Yankees starting left fielder.
Tauchman is no kid. Don’t worry he will put on his grown up pants and be fine. Greg Allen had cleared waivers before the Yankees got him so i’m sure his lifetime 239avg with 8 long balls will do fine in AAA.
Tauchman is seven years younger than Gardner.
Yeah but he is no kid. If you were complaining about Gardner blocking a kid it would make more sense if you were talking about estevan florial. Either way I think Gardner is better than Tauchman
He was also one of their least productive players last year.
I’ll bite too. Tauchman was never considered a “great” player. They (the Yankees) were hoping 2019 was a breakout year. I repeat, one good year. Gardner is not blocking him from playing.
Which exactly?
Nice troll… I mean try! The Yankees had a great offseason and should be the favorites in the AL.
They had a decent offseason. If Kluber and Taillon don’t bounce back though, they had an awful offseason.
Let’s see Kluber and Taillon have pitched a total of how many innings the past two years???? How is Severino looking? But Tanaka is always solid right? Stanton and Judge gonna stay healthy? Is the team better off if Gary Sanchez gets hurt???? I mean ….. pitchers hate throwing to him …. he strikes out 2 out of every 3 trips to the plate. The Yankees are in Decline!!!!! 3rd place AL East! No Playoffs For You!
The sentence you ended with 5 question marks is good.
However, the sentences where you only used one seem a little ambiguous.
Wishy washy, even.
Tanaka in Japan
ha it was 4 question marks … gottem …
it was 5 exclamation points.
seriously he makes a good point 4/5 of the rotation hasnt pitched in over a year (Kluber, Severino, Taillon, and German) It is definitely something to worry about and the only one that did hates pitching to your current catcher. There is some depth there n the rotation but that would scare me a bunch especially with 2 of them coming off injury.
Not worried about starting pitching. Yankees are not trying to win any games 1-0. Good luck trying to stop them from scoring. You can’t win 0-0 but you can win 100-99. That is the plan. You just said that Kluber, German, Severino, and Taillon are all rested! Should be good to go!
What u call rest, most call rust.
I kinda liked the Bruce signing..
Would they carry 6 OF ? Not sure if Trauch, who I like, has an option left
Without knowing Yankees deeply isnt a versatile INF more of a priority?
I imagine theres prolly 2 more 2 mill deals then leave 5 for the trade deadline. Id imagine one of those signs will be an arm so is this the last bat best fit, feels like No on paper but yes on nostalgia …which will prevail? Kinda like Eric Sogard over there
5 and a DH, but probably what they look like until an injury. Cmon – we all know at least one will be injured by May.
Would be 6 + Stanton as DH
Judge Hicks Frazier …….. Trauch Bruce Gardner
You’re forgetting Greg Allen
Bruce is on a minor league contract – only getting called up for an injury, but might need 2 injuries now.
Allen is about to get DFA’d to make room for Gardner so no need to worry about him…
Bruce is on a minor league deal. so he doesn’t have to be on ML roster.
@Dave203- unless the Yankees trade Tauchman or release him instead. I think your right though. Greg Allen is probably the player who will be DFA’d. So good call.
I’ll be honest, I don’t know much about Greg Allen but I’d MUCH rather have Jay Bruce who’s only 33 and has much more power than Gardner. This signing is only because Hicks and Judge are so incredibly injury prone. Does Tauchman have any options left? If everyone is healthy to start the season (virtually impossible to imagine) I just don’t see Tauchman as one of the backup OFers unless Bruce stinks it up in Spring Training.
I am extremely happy that Clint Frazier is finally considered the starting left fielder and I am predicting 30-35 HRS from him and a top 8 MVP voting. I was always staunchly against trading him for an old washed up starter or a reliever, even when he was struggling. If they could somehow get 135-140 games a piece out of Frazier, Hicks and Judge, they are World Series bound. Oddly, my biggest concern going into this season is Chapman.
You’re crazy if you think Clint is hitting 30HR or hitting over .239!
Top 8 in MVP.. Your husband would be ashamed if he saw that comment!
Tauchman is out of options so I think he makes the team barring a poor ST performance. Hard to see the Yankees cuttting him. Allen becomes the odd man out. Bruce may need to start the season in AAA if he accepts or he walks.
I’m not as high on Frazier as you but I think he can remain a starting LFer. Britton can always close in place of Chapman and Wilson also has experience.
Who is trauch there js no R in tauchman…and Bruce isn’t on the 40 man roster
Time to trade Stanton to dodgers for pollack and a c level prospect , yanks eat 30% of money
Jay Bruce and Brett Gardner are your backup outfielders and you are “Happy” about that?????? Stanton and Judge get hurt ….. this is what gets inserted. Yikes!!! This from a team that a couple of years ago signed D.J. When he didn’t even have a position at the time. That worked out pretty well. Bruce and Gardner????? Puig is better!
You need a hug, my friend.
I mean Tauchman, frazier first but nice try.
Tuchman trash I Hate how bad he is he’s lucky to have that lil park
When they get hurt don’t be shocked if Florial comes up and plays well
actually puig isnt better gardner has double puig’s war since 2012…
But you think puig is better because he hits home runs and they talk about him on espn
Bruce will replace Mike Ford backup 1B lefty bat. Gardner will replace Tauchman.
Even the Red Sox used to pay Wakefield $4 million.
yankees are an embarrassment to baseball.
Some things never change. Cheapskates with the ones who matter. Piles of money to cheaters. On and on.
Or maybe they just dont want him anymore lol
Am assuming your a red Sox fan wich is hilarious if you are cause your talking about cheaters your manager a proven cheater Many, Ortiz and don’t forget clemens is a red Sox farm hand.
… A-Rod, Cano, Giambi, Sheffield, Clemens when he pitched for you…
I’m just here to say I love pangolins.
Stevewpants it’s 2021 and you can luv anyone you want. You guys can even report to SP if you socially distance outside your bubble.
For a team that is so against facial hair …… that is a lot of guys thought to have been using “vitamins” to enhance performance. #1 prospect in the Yankee farm system, the 18-year old kid Dominguez, also is rumored to like vitamins. You seen the arms on this kid? Popeye the Sailor. Hmmm?
Naw man I mean the animals, do yourself a favor and google pictures of pangolins, they rule. ( :
Hey listen the woke crowd probably says go for it there too:) , but I hear you.
Stay out of wet markets dude.
Rumored by whom — you?
Knobloch
Facial hair is outlawed for the Yankees because dumb and dumber cannot grow any. Not a big deal.
Cano cheated in SEA and Mets but yes.
LOL. Over their heads.
Ya Pettigrew Pettite , clemens , a fraud , Jetes , Bernie will , and Stanton all liken to the vitamins don’t they ?
Wouldn’t surprise me if hardy farsy gardy does as well
Facts.
Petititte
Oh sorry, forgot about Pettitte, Brown, Canseco, Knoblauch, Mike Stanton, plus the fact they were caught in a sign-stealing scandal that they are still in court trying to prevent the release of documents from.
100% legit organization. For sure.
You do you.
Trolls are a waste of time.
Brown? Also, every team had guys doing PEDs. Two of the guys on your 2nd list also spent time with the Sox.
Kevin Brown. You probably don’t remember him, only one of the worst signings in Yankees history.
So that’s only 10 players that either tested positive for steroids or were in the Biogenesis report who were on Yankees teams and I guess 2 for the Red Sox? No, 3 if you count Steven Wright!
Wait, wait… I’m such an idiot! I forgot about Francisco Cervelli, Melky Cabrera, Ron Villone, and David Justice. Huh.
Did not honestly realize so many cheaters played for the Yankees. Thanks for reminding me!
Are you just going to comb through the entire list of players in the Mitchell and Biogenesis reports? Stop acting like the Yankees were the only team employing PED users.
No one said they were until yankees2016rebuild brought it up.
I’m only pointing out the fact that they were amongst the most cheating teams in the last 25 years.
Sorry if y’all are touchy!
It’s still 27 rings bitches
NOT THE TIGERS! And we have the batting averages and record to prove it!
Go play with Manny’s boobs
I’m glad you’ve seen court documents. You should probably keep that on the down low.
Jealousy is a sin Pangolin!!
The only cheating in baseball is done by a TON of 2 teams
HousTON and bosTON.
They cheated, they know they cheated, fans know they cheated. They are the ones living with a tainted championship
Let’s see how teams retaliate THIS year
They Yankees followed the rules by MLB AFTER the Apple Watch incident in which boston and Houston did NOT
Live with that cheater supporters!!
and sign stealing organization just like the Astros
He’s not, he’s a Mets fan…. Which is equally hilarious, given his team can’t seemingly hire anyone without those hires harassing females via unwanted phone pictures…..
He is one, but that’s not a big deal, at least not to me, anyway.
Too bad they couldn’t afford Mookie.
Mookie just wanted out of that cesspool in Boston.
Oh good, they threw $4 million to Gardner. Not sure what took so long. Who else was going to pound the dugout ceiling? Thank goodness that story’s over.
He’d rather be in Boston than that side of nyc
That is a great call…I like Trauch as well and would make sense w Reynolds in the OF to pair moving forward on the cheap…. both the kinda hard nosed players ya want in a rebuild
Who is this Mike Trauch you guys keep talking about? Is it the Mike Trout you get when you order from Wish.com?
$2-3 million max.
Go to Mets. Deserves more than $3 million.
Sometimes you just can’t let go
Yay!! picked up 2 more for the contest today !! Ain’t gonna win but keeps me respectable!
This makes me extremely happy
As long as he is the 4th OF and they finally give Fraser a fair shot at LF.
Still an above average hitter. I hope he retires a Yankee.
Lol. Do
You even watch baseball?
Helluva a career so far. Would look odd in anything but the pinstripes.
Glad he’s back and for 4mil, great deal!
Sorry, bad move. All he can do is cover ground in the outfield…then what…he’s lucky if he can bounce five times to the infield. His batting is close your eyes and hope and pray the bat hits the ball. He can’t hit the opposite way when the situation calls it….or even bunt the ball for a hit or sacrifice.( which he had many years to work on) Good clubhouse guy, but all he is doing is taking the space of a more deserving young player.
which deserving young player is a 4th or 5th outfielder that can still play LF or CF in case of injury or where someone needs a day off?
I am so happy the Yankees signed Gardy. That’s one more reason to hate them.
Most amusing posts in my brief time here.
– grammar/ grammar doesn’t matter a lot in a sports forum, but it is amusing that there are so many people who mishandle basic English especially homonyms.
– lots of homers and I enjoy the enthusiasm. Doesn’t make them even close to being right most of the time…
– some really well made points, good analysis and a few chuckles from a couple of the more clever lads
I’ve watched a lot of Yankees games over the years- mostly because my Mets didn’t just suck, but would have been the worst run franchise in town if not for the Knicks.
Gardy is old School, comes to play every day and by all of the statistics, both old & new, he’s still contributing at a more than acceptable level. There’s always room for a player like that. The roster clearly doesn’t offer a lot of ABs for non-starting OF and DH, so Gardy won’t have big counting stats and may flag a bit on ratios too because of infrequent playing time. What he will offer is a very high floor under any of the starters that get injured. The NYY are real WS contenders if they get decent to good pitching.
I’m personally counting on the Bombers to do their part and meet us for another subway series. Mets in 6
welcome to the monkey house, it’s a mad lot
Tbh I see no way the Mets can beat the braves or , dodgers. Lindor is a good pickup but since September 2018 he has .720 ops. Carrasco is a good pickup but otherwise the other additions don’t overwhelm enough to go above either of those 2 teams
bronxbombers-You gotta check your numbers on Lindor. In 2020 he posted a .750ops and had an ops of .854 in 2019.
Grammar police making grammatical errors. Classic.
…run-on sentences, misuse of capitalization, etc. Oh, the irony!
FWIW I read it as not being critical of grammar. He explicitly says that. He’s amused by it is all and actually writes well enough to intelligently express his thoughts.
Garnder is definitely a throwback player. Couldn’t really picture him in a different uniform although for years wanted to see him in an Angels uni.
Yes, I agree with you; nevertheless, I don’t like the idea of the club option in ‘22. Why? Because it will be declined and we will be going through this same thing next year – same discussion, same reasons, same point in the pre-season.
Although he does still demonstrate his efficacy and he was an appropriate signing for their team, with the manner in which management is operating, the Yankees must draw the line instead of leaving the perennial question mark with Gardy’s. They need to demarcate his last year in this uniform to avoid this occurring next offseason and to give him a send off.
I think the option was probably included in order to defray the AAV a bit.
The most logical choice was logical.
He’s no longer an everyday player but the Yanks were smart for bringing him back. How would it have looked if they just let a lifelong Yankee and a respected clubhouse guy walk?
Would have looked like a team that makes good baseball decisions. This one isn’t. Gardner is trash.
I think, “trash,” may be a slight bit of hyperbole. He’s well regarded for his play among all MLB, not just those within his advanced age bracket. I think you may have a Gardy issue……
Hold on, Gardy just stopped by, I’ll jump back on later after our visit together.
Pirates are overrated.
I’m assuming he will be 4th or 5th on the depth chart. So I’m just going to pencil him in for another 140 games.
It’s a friggin Gardy Party whether you like it or not!
Haters gonna hate
It ain’t gonna be no party with this aging dunce. He can’t catch up to a fastball to save his life
PP, I’m honestly fascinated as to where these opinions come from. That’s measurably not an accurate depiction of Gardner. You’re not new to the baffling and goofy hate party, I’m just constantly in awe of you guys. Gardner has been and, by every reasonable measure, will continue to be a more than serviceable outfielder and bat.
@35, your facts confuse them. It’s fun to picture them spinning and then imploding upon themselves once you bring up numbers. Not everyone understands the game, some just spew unsupported opinions.
Agreed. Gardner has been nothing short of being a consummate pro. He also could’ve easily commented on his free agent status but chose not to. I understand the justifications for not wanting him back but the insults are totally unwarranted.
He will definitely play a lot, because Hicks and Judge can’t stay healthy, allowing Frazier to play at right field sometimes and allowing Gardy to play left and center, the latter of which Frazier cannot do.
Hicks can’t stay healthy?
Hix broken machine yet ?
He’d rather be swinging a golf club and counting his Mercedes’
And sippin Arnold Palmers in the summer time which undoubtedly inhibit mlb performance
I wouldn’t write Jay Bruce off the team yet. Judge, Stanton, and Hicks all have to make it through spring training healthy first
At least 2 out of the 3 are going down
Well I’m happy to know that Gardy is back. Hopefully, the team and fans can give him proper sendoff when he decides to hang up his cleats.
A proper send off would have been putting him down 5 years ago. He stinks.
Yeah the above average defensive CF who’s OPS+ has been above 100 3 out of the last 4 seasons who is a team leader and will be playing on the bench stinks. Cash already said Fraizer is the LF and we all know Hicks and Judge will get hurt at some point. GREAT signing. He’s worth at least 6M on the open market.
Hmmm 5 years ago (2016) he won a GG and had a 3.2 WAR, he followed that up with 3 seasons of 3.3-4.9 WAR each season. Then still managed a .7 WAR in 49 games in 2020 which equates to a 2 WAR over his 140 game average. The only thing that stinks here is the bs you spouted.
A “proper send off” for what?!?! Are they going to retire his number and put him in Monument Park too? He’s been nothing more than an average player for his entire career. You give proper send offs to guys like Mo, Jeter, O’Neill and Bernie Williams. Guys that had major roles in multiple World Series Championships and are iconic ballplayers.
Gardy Party!
I’m glad they brought back Gardy. I hope it’s a farewell tour. Hope he doesn’t take AB’s away from Frazier
Nah Cash said Fraizer is the LF. He’s the 4th OF on a team that has 2 OF on the IL constantly.
I don’t think he will, but it’s likely that he gets plenty of playing time anyway.
What a waste of a roster spot. They brought back a useless team pet.
Yankees throwing money away on this has been loser.
Traded Adam Ottavino to the Red Sox, so they could sign Brett Gardner. Awesome!!!
Yankees must really hate Fraser.
They already said Clint is the LF.
Another L contract for NYY.
Noooooo, it was time to let him go! Whyyy?
Why? If (when) Hicks goes down who plays CF? Cash already said Fraizer is the LF so I don’t see how this is a bad move.
Don’t forget that Judge can’t stay healthy which will let Frazier get some playing time in right.
Brian Caaashman still speaks about player personel decisions on the field (boone) before spring training STILL!?!?!? Ohhh the irony
My guess is that the Yankees aren’t entirely comfortable with Tauchman & Allen, @PinstripedPride.
I get it. Tauchman fell off a cliff & Allen might not be able to hit.
Still have 8+ mil left. Cashman is paying attention to the bench this year. That’s good!
Gardy’s just a bench piece.
Exactly, the lens you have to look through on this deal is that he replaces Allen. Quite simply, this is a clear upgrade. Anyone that thinks this means at bats taken from Frazier needs to get the sand out of their eyes and the corn out of their ears.
Just checked.
Las Vegas has the Yanks at +567. Dodgers at +333. Padres are third at +783.
The Yankees are a very good baseball team. I’m sure this news unsettles the Yankee Hate Wagon.
& I get it.
You guys thought we were down & out in ’16, uh?
Yanks showed you how to rebuild. You trade some guys at the deadline, still hang around the wild card race, & finish (as always) with a winning record. Come back the very next year to win a 100 games.
Yanks are not going anywhere, fellas.
I thought it was time to move on from Gardy. I guess he’s the only legitimate backup CF they have. I thinking Markakis
I like Markakis but I don’t think he plays CF. I would prefer JBJ but he wants to start.
JBJ wants 5-6 years! That alone makes Gardy more worth it.
And at more the $10 mil per year. Pass
Markakis as an improvement to Gardner? Sheesh, yanks fans really do think so little of such a productive player.
Your last statement can be taken two ways.
When we actually win that elusive #28, perhaps we can start telling other teams how to do things. The Rays knocked our costly crew out of the postseason with the 28th payroll in baseball.
Props. Good move. They literally need Gardner, to help offset the 29 injuries they will sustain throughout the season. He’s like the only durable Yankee. Man of steel.
So 6.5M for Gardner? Pretty expensive bench bat.
Have a cheaper LH OF option they could have signed that can play all fields?
3 million, and yeah, bargain
I’m not a Yankees fan but I am glad to see this. I couldn’t picture him anywhere else. He is a Yankee. He also has an enormous head
Maybe his body is small.
Imagine if he started on the Bonds plan?! His head would be Gi-Normous! It would be a sight to behold for sure.
So happy to have a Gardy party one more time! Good work Cash
Shocking news!
Tauchman – wanted him to have the shot. Gardner had his day
Brett-“Almost Average” Gardner! What a waste of Money.!
Shame on the Cashman, and his puppet manage
Boring Brett deserves a bus ticket back to Carolina and nothing more.
Whenever the overrated Gardner is on the field ,and the talented Clint Frazier is on the bench, the Bronx Bombers become the Bronx Bummers and King George moans in his grave.- Look at the back on Brett’s baseball card and see why, -He’s almost average
Agreed. The question should be “ why would they bring him back” especially at 4 million. $3,999,999 more than any other teams including the Blue Jays would of paid.
What I see on his card is 43 bwar. 17th all time on the Yankees. Higher than Paul O’Neill. Higher than Jorge Posada. Brett “I’m obviously valuable” Gardner.
I imagine Boone knew this was in the offing when he announced yesterday at his presser that Frazier is the starting left fielder. I have to believe Gardner was signed to spell Hicks in center (is Hicks even healthy yet?) and Frazier in left as a backup. And remember: Aaron Judge is a bad landing away from another IL stint, and so is Stanton. I’m not crazy about bringing back Brett, and it looks like an overpay, but I suspect that health concerns were the driving motive to bring him back.
Good to see Gardy back with the Yanks.
It’s absurd that baseball fans in 2021 still point fingers at other teams when it comes to PEDs. Every team in baseball has had juicers on their roster. What’s more, MLB was awash in amphetamines long before steroids reared their ugly head. In that respect, every fan base is throwing rocks from a glass house. It’s long past time to move on if we don’t want to declare ourselves delusional. It’s an even playing field because there is no high ground.
Yeah…embrace cheating because some others did it! Brilliant! Or..try to identify cheating in an attempt to stop it. Hey, let’s go with what is easiest and just ignore reality…the only argument for steroids is to legalize them..and thereby legalize what we constitute as “cheating.”
Legalizing cheating seems like a slippery slope to me…perhaps others disagree…
Heck no! Punish cheaters, Yankees or no Yankees, I don’t care. If you can’t play without cheating, move over. Let someone who doesn’t need a needle to hit the ball play. 100 percent on board with you CTH.
Try this procedure, Chief. First read. Then make sure you understood what you read. Then respond.
There wasn’t a word in my post about embracing cheating. I imagine you enjoyed ranting though.
What I said was, FANS should stop pointing fingers at OTHER TEAMS to call out their juicers as if their own teams had never harbored cheaters, because every team has had cheaters on their rosters.
That’s not an inference; it’s a matter of record. When the Mitchell Report was published in The New York Times, there wasn’t single team that wasn’t implicated. If you want to be a hypocrite, go ahead and bag on other teams as if your own team is a PED virgin — but your presumption will be erroneous.
Capisce?
Person, don’t bother with those guys. Really doesn’t sound like they read your post at all. You’re clearly right that no team is morally superior to any other in regards to ped’s—some only received more attention for it. I agree the needlessly acrimonious and tired habit of baseless steroid accusations has long worn out its welcome. The steroid era is complicated and filled with shades of grey, but it is, thankfully, largely a thing of the past.
Some won’t agree, some may… Gardy FARTy.
IMO, there WERE better FA’s that signed cheaper but, Hal just had to wait for DJLM.
If they were going to sign him, WHY get what’s is name… Greg Allen?!!!
Gardner is done and honestly, everyone knows it but, for some reason, Hal, the fan favs. and their “loyalty” is absurd. Even if it HURTS the team. That’s a Neanderthal way to run a team.
Gardner didn’t even hit .200 until the last 3 weeks of the season last year.
He’s lost 2 steps on the OF and his arm is not what it used to be.
He hasn’t been stealing bases for years.
Yeah, he’s a fan fav. but, that’s no reason to sign him.
Now the Yankees need to clear a spot on the 40 man roster for him instead of a needed reliever.
Not to mention, the Yanks had $9M under the luxury tax. Now it’s only $5M. That’s not even counting whatever (it hasn’t become public yet) the Yankees signed Justin Wilson for!
Now that doesn’t leave much $ at all to deal with when the trade deadline comes.
He only has a .259 career BA (which will go down this year once again) only 159 HR’s and only 539 RBI’s.
It wouldn’t surprise me if the Yankees retire his number when he’s finally done because of 14 years and “loyalty”. Pfft…
IMO, this was another Yankees bad move…
As I mentioned above, some will disagree, some not…
You lost me with your caps use immediately..
Sorry, although there is only a few on top, I’m just a little frustrated. I don’t normally do that.
I am very sensitive to caps. My grandmother used caps once…once!
I did apologize. As I mentioned, I don’t normally do that.
I’m sorry once again…
“Johnny Dangerously”
…The reference goes back a bit…the first thing I expect is for people to not take me seriously. I don’t hold it against them when they do, however. They may be correct.
Man, every time I think I’ve seen the worst take on this signing, someone else comes along.
The Yankees are not retiring Brett Gardners number. Will he get a plaque yes he will, but not a retired number. The next retired number not counting the unofficially retired 21 of Paul O’Neill will be 52 (CC Sabathia) when he gets elected to the Hall of Fame. As for Gardner he is there for depth purposes ( especially to fill in for Hicks in Center).
Lol so they’re going to enshrine him forever in monument park, but your argument is they won’t retire his number because he sucks?
Can Hicks even outrun Gardner at this point? Seems like both well below average defensive CFers to me
Starting to think my favorite prospect Estevan Florial might never get a chance with the Yankees. Unless he can take over for Aaron Hicks next season. Doubt it will be this season with Gardy coming back. Florial can be a 20/20 guy blindfolded if he’s ever given a chance. And he’ll play gold glove defense in centerfield.
Hey, I’d love it if Florial turns into something great, but what makes you think he’s ready? The guy hasn’t hit well at any level for quite a while now. Outside of his tiny debut in 2020 he hasn’t even played above high A ball. He’s most definitely not the answer until he shows huge improvements at the plate.
He’s also striking out ~ 35% of the time in high A ball. So there’s that.
But the 20/20 blindfolded thing would be pretty cool.
Florial will be traded soon enough. I do not see him or German having a future in Pinstripes
Nothing is stopping Florial other than he isn’t good enough for the ML roster at the moment. He was never going to start this year so Gardner isn’t keeping him from anything. One can only hope he continues to improve and they can decline Gardys 2022 option.
Full disclosure for the morally outraged: Diehard Yankees fan, think it’s time to let the steroid-ers into the hall, resent Tom Brady alot more than the Astros, and just love the game for all its faults and dedicated to my team, but no more than you do yours. In my eternally springing hope, I like the upside of the rotation, would pay to watch any game Cole pitches, can’t wait to see Taillon, hope we get to see the Great Kluber cause damn if he wasn’t a joy to watch, respect the under-valued Montgomery and worry about German’s head. and covering for Severino’s climb back; I’m a sucker to think Voit could actually be this good, DJ is great, Urshela is a fine No. 9 hitter and Gleyber needs to show he is or isn’t a superstar this year. The healthy outfield is terrific on many levels and I think Frazier will be the best trade never made, A healthy Stanton will dominate for a week three times a season, just not in a row. Having Gardy on the bench is like a big bowl of comfort food. So sue me for being a fan. Can’t wait for baseball.
Preach!
yankee fans have about the most faulty logic tool known to mankind, but then the rump is a yankee fan so it’s understandable. Cole is every bit the cheater as Tom Brady!!! Foreign substances = Underinflated balls, Trash can banging = videotaped practices. And so it goes. They’re practically the same guy!!!!! Except for the results.
I see you called the faulty logic and then raised with affecting attempted analogies.
Nothing against Gardner, but I really don’t think anyone outside of the Yankees or Red Sox fan base cares about this signing….I only include the Sox because the Yanks and Sox are obsessed with each other.
Not worth $4 million
True. The Yanks could’ve signed Cameron Maybin who just signed a minor league deal instead. He’s younger and cheaper and performed well for the Yanks during his first stint.
But is Maybin really capable of contributing everyday in the starting lineup for up to months at a time? He is a nice player but gets exposed if he plays everyday, at least at the plate. Have to expect the 4th OF on this club to play at least 100 games no?
He’s the clubhouse leader, he gets a lot credit from their young stars for making them feel comfortable. NYC (Boston too) media is brutal, Yankees/Mets/Red Sox need guys like this.
You’re right probably worth more. Pandemic times ay?
Crawlin Through the Trash Cash
Cashman to Hal: “Last week I was in Queens? Just kinda cruising around…anyway, I ‘found’ a perfectly good Justin Wilson & an old Chirinos in the same dumpste-…um…place.”
Hal: “Yeah. I was wondering what that smell in the office was. Reminded me of that time you ‘found’ that old Neil Walker. Smelled the same anyway…”
Cash continues brightly: “& just last night I was looking around back? Check it out! Found a Gardy nobody wanted! It’s still perfectly fine. Lookatit! Look, Hal!”
Seriously though.
I was hoping there’d be funds available to see Cashman do some David Stearns style February shopping.
I hope he keeps on digging around, man.
I like all these late little signings.
Totally looking forward to the Jeffress & Eric Sogard incoming deals.
They just can’t break up with him
Jake Arrieta got $5 or $6 million!!
That makes this $4 million dollar contract seem ok.
He did in fact get $6 million.
Well maybe Gardner will be done this year, maybe he won’t be. But he is still an above average player who steps in for 140 games every year when Hicks, Judge and Stanton will 100% miss serious chunks of the season, if not the majority of the season.
For all the Gardy haters, it’s alright we know you’re just embarrassed you predicted he was done like 10 years ago and he just goes on contributing. It’s alright we aren’t mad at you, come join the Gardy party it’s much more fun over here!
That’s fine and I won’t pet se argue- but let’s be real-not one other team came after him and if someone offered say 8 mil b/c we biased Yankee fans thinks he’s so great he would have taken the money and run.
If he is anything more than occasional filler than this team screwed the pooch.
If you listen to R2C2, Sabathia’s podcast, you’ll know that he’s the clubhouse guy. CC talks about how they both of them got rid of hazing and made the Bronx a place where young players feel comfortable playing. Cashman knows this, he kinda a player coach now. Plus with Hicks’ iffy health they need a body that can play CF.
He does not respect umpires.
Me neither whenever they make bad calls for any team.
For me he’s the last of the Yankee players that I “hate”. If he was on my team he’d probably be my favorite player..
As a Red Sox fan that’s the best compliment I can give. him.
For me, it’s Varitek and Papelbon. I’ve always had a lot of respect for Ortiz and Pedrioia. Even Caveman Damon.
As a RS fan, I loved Mattingly, but among current Evil-Doers, it is easily Gardner. When he came up 20 years ago, his play in LF was flawless. I’ve seen a ton of live Yankee games, and I never saw him take a wrong path. In that split second when your eyes moved from the batter to the fielder, he was already moving at full speed.
He’s a heck of an underrated player.
Gardy is a gritty player. You never have to wonder if he’s taking an at bat off or if he didn’t give 100% on a fly ball. Great to have him back.
Great signing. Curious if the Yankees will get more bullpen help or save the cap space for mid season trades.
So the main question is what is the AAV as that is what’s driving these accounting-special deals? Is the AAV approximately $4M? 5M? Or $2.5M?
It’s $2.575M if opts in ’22. If he opts-out, the buyout of $1.15M will carryover into ’22 payroll. I could be wrong.
I’m reading the math on that contract and I don’t understand the $5.15m guarantee. If he turns down the player option ($2.3m) and the Yanks exercise the buyout ($1.15m) it only adds up to $4million. I guess they assume Gardner will exercise his player option.
Yes. It’s based on the assumption that he will opt-in ‘for 22 which equals the guaranteed total.
So, 1-yr/4M guaranteed (IF they BUY him out for 1.15M AFTER he declines Year-2 player option for 2.3M)
or, a 2-yr/5.15M (IF he ACCEPTS Year-2 PLAYER option for 2.3M)
and finally, a chance to get max value at 2-yr/10M (if he DECLINES Year-2 player option for 2.3M, but NYY elect to EXERCISE the CLUB option for 7.15M) slim to no chance of this happening tho imo! 🙂
No it won’t. The Yankees won’t exercise the option if Gardner opts-out. It’s more likely that they negotiate a new ’22 deal.
That signing is a COMPLETE JOKE
We need more Phillies articles.
Sleepy news
Wasted money
Great! Looking forward to that .200 BA no steals and noodle arm
Big Neck Gardy
yawn