The Blue Jays have reached out to show some interest in veteran outfielder Brett Gardner, tweets Newsday’s Erik Boland, although Boland adds that the 38-year-old Gardner is still hoping that the Yankees will make an offer for him to return. Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears similarly, writing that the Jays have checked in on Gardner but some clubs wonder whether he’d actually sign with a team other than the Yankees, given the history between the two parties.
Gardner hit .222/.327/.362 with 10 homers, 16 doubles and four triples while playing more center field than the Yankees probably would have hoped in 2021. Aaron Hicks’ injuries, however, pushed Gardner into a prominent share of time in center, where he logged 816 innings. That was just the second time since 2015 that Gardner had played even 40 games in center, and to his credit, he rated only a bit below average there. For a 38-year-old who’s become more accustomed to left field, it was about as solid a showing as could be expected.
Interest from the Jays makes some sense, given that their roster is exceptionally right-handed. Gardner hit just .213 against righties in 2021, but part of that was due to an abnormally low .243 average on balls in play against them. He walked in 13.9% of his plate appearances versus right-handed pitching against a 20.2% strikeout rate that clocks in below the league average.
Gardner is far from the hitter he once was, when he batted a combined .257/.338/.413 with 109 homers and 130 steals in 1024 games with the Yankees from 2013-19. With the Jays, however, he’d be viewed as a part-time player — a lefty bat off the bench whose primary role would be to offer some occasional breathers or injury insurance for right-handed outfield options like Lourdes Gurriel Jr., George Springer, Teoscar Hernandez and Randal Grichuk. He’d presumably be attainable on a one-year contract, but it’d be understandable if Gardner felt somewhat conflicted about leaving the only team he’s known after 14 big league seasons and 17 professional campaigns, dating back to his selection in the third round of the 2005 draft.
Please sign him Blue Jays!
Take him please. Good riddance! Ahahahaha!
The Blue Jays always seem to want a left-handed bat. Theyre better off sending a player to the batters box with no bat than having Gardner
Aside from Reynolds, Gardner would be an upgrade on the AAAA Buccos roster..
Yes, Toronto finally gets they’re big lefty bat! Who ever needed Freeman?
and he can bunt and steal bases!
At the “old folks” home!
Pirates swoop in and sign him for a one year deal.
As a jays fan can I just say… no
You don’t want Megamind on your team?!
He’s been a Jays killer for so long that as a Jays fan my brain doesn’t know have to process this possibility
True dat
Ducky will become a Jays fan for sure!!
GGBG! But, watch Joe, BG will snap a .250/.340/.440 line with 30 SB for the Blue Jays on their way to a division title win – it’s just how things go.
Yep. That sounds about right.
Off topic but the NY vaccine mandate is to be lifted.
That was automatic. Benching Kyrie Irving for the season was fine.
But this is baseball. Anyone suspect a double-standard?
I had posted to someone else recently to not underestimate Randy Levine.
But yeah, definitely a double standard.
Nope….nah, no way……no. I just don’t see it….any, ya know, double standard, in any way. Hey, how about them Yankees, huh?
…for athletes.
Gardner was terrific but it’s probably time to hang ’em up.
I can’t see Gardner playing for any team besides the Yankees. I just can’t.
He could be the LH bat off the bench and defensive Replacement in the OF for the Mets. Or the starting CF on the Phillies or Marlins.
Expand your vision.
Weird. The only thing that excites me about Gardner is seeing him in another teams uniform. Good riddance.
Oh god please no. Greg Bird is the former Yankee lefty bat that they need.
I’m cool. Everything’s fine. I am excited about ushering in the Tim Locastro era. Really. I am.
The thought of GGBG in a Jay’s uni doesn’t make me squirm around & grab a cold one. Nope.
That’s the spirit Ducky. Keep saying it and it will happen.
Oddly enough though I’m ok with our current outfield. Catcher and starting pitching on the other hand…
He should just go to Philly.
We can all live with that.
I guess that depends on how you feel about Hicks. If you think we can get 90 or so games out of him then we will have enough. It’s just that we were banking on the same last year, & he was gone by May. So.
I really don’t have much concern with the rotation. I do – however – still want bats. (As you guys know.) I would attend to 4th outfielder &/or C before I would worry about the rotation. Pitching in general, actually.
RortShioka may “hit” for a *combined* OPS *below* 1.100. In short: Brutal.
Sanchez would have given you a better OPS but killed your entire pitching staff.
I agree on Gardner to a large extent but I must say, you surely are sentimental with each individual player on the Yanks.
Well…ya got me there.
It’s like my marriages were. I tended to see the best. Even when it was long gone.
Plural, Ducky? I just have one in my rear-view mirror and now her rear would not fit in many mirrors. I think she is still in Eagan,MN.
Yeah. But really, it’s all very explainable.
But I have upgraded to a live-in. Won’t be anymore ex-wives.
Buck – I respect that man, I’m the same way.
These days all too often people will ignore a million good things and focus on just the few bad things.
Focusing on the positives is about loyalty, which seems to be a foreign concept nowadays.
Yep. It the circle of life in MLB. Look at the players we picked up and gave up to close rivals over the years. It will not make me do anything drastic if the Jays sign him. LIke……………..move back to MN, for example, Ducky.. LOL.
Got about a half inch of snow today. Looks like more Friday & Saturday. Eat your heart out, Lenny.
You’re right though. I just hope he doesn’t sign with an AL East team. That would be too weird.
Just bring the guy in as the bench coach and get his career started already.
He may – or may not – want to get into coaching. At this point – however – he wants to play. Perfectly understandable to me.
If he doesn’t want to hang them up he could always go to Mexico like Josh Reddick, Chris Carter, etc.
Brett, you did a lot for us but we have pressing needs
Yep and one of them is not a memory lane redux.
I still have love for GGBG. He’s been a remarkable leader for the Yankees over a tremendous period of time. I wouldn’t sleep on Gardy, he seems to take great care of himself, and has some more solid years left in there, IMO. I’m surprised he’s not a Phillie yet.
I love my Uncle Kelly too but I don’t want him on my sports team and neither does Aunt Beatrice who knows he is well past his prime.
Looks like the Yankees may have to find a new mascot
If he goes somewhere else, I hope it’s not a disappointing one and done.
The BlueJays signing Brett Gardner will not help them win a championship.
Shaprio and Atkins have done good work so far for this year, but a top of the rotation starter and QUALITY bullpen depth not dumster diving is still needed for the BlueJays to win deep into the season and playoffs.
I hate that I agree with Jimmer
But only on the Gardner point. The rest I think he is just crazy.
I like to know where this Top of the Rotation Arm is going to come from that Jimmer keeps going on about. I want 5 x Aces for my rotation but realism sets in.
The rotation point is crazy, but he’s right that the bullpen doesn’t have much quality depth. There’s no doubt the pen is the team’s weak point. Although they’re plenty capable of making the payoffs with that little flaw.
Yankees should give him one more year…Adds more value than Locastro.
But if he did move on, it’d be better to go to the NL East… Mets, Nationals, or Phillies (to join back with DiDi, Girardi, & Torreyes). Cubs could be one other option to rejoin Frazier & Robertson.
The last club I’d throw in there is the Marlins…
However, I wouldn’t put it past the Yankees to move on. Bernie retired a year earlier than he wanted to. And Matsui spent his last year in Tampa.
Gardy in Japan would be a power hitter
Intangibles, sure but the Yankees have plenty of that already. Team Locastro Go!
Sure. The team is only destined for the final WC spot so what is one more year of our lives watching washed up nostalgia-ridden veterans?
Jays dont need him but they should sign him just so he doesnt hit against them. For some reason he loves playing against the jays
If Jays do sign him they’re going to have to reinforce the roof of the dugout. Might not be cost effective.
God forbid Hicks gets injured for an other 100 games again but if so I’d rather have Gardner than Locastro. He can steal you a base occasionally, he’s a great locker room guy according to reports, he’s a lefty with some pop, he can still play adequate enough defense and he’ll likely sign cheap with some sort of appearance incentives. What’s the other guy really going to do?
Estevan Florial is 24 years-old. He’s done about all he can do in the minors. He got called up last year and did well until he got injured. He might be the only position player on the Yankees I like. While nothing is guaranteed, he has more of a ceiling that any other position player they have. Due to Hick injuries over the years that have slowed him down, Florial is the best defensive CF they have. With the shortage of quality CF in MLB, some team will trade for him and play him if the Yankees don’t want to play him.
Not Al Avila….. he’s ordering empanadas!
Nah “Gardner the Mariner” has a certain ring to it!
Beatty is a better, younger version and is now available
Have to give something up for beatty
It turned out Baty had one option remaining, so he’s not available…….yet.
Has Cashman ended his man-crush on Gardner?
@Rsox- I find that impossible.
Mets need a lefty outfielder who has some power
Gardy definitely fits the bill as a power hitter. Didn’t the Mets move they’re fences closer?
No that was Baltimore.they moved in the left field wall
Okay, bye!
I’d rather see Gardy on the Mets or Pods
Brett Gardner is as gritty at they come. Love that style of play.
A once outspoken buteo would likely opine that Gardner has TWTW. Chuckle.
He is very durable. All the years when the other OF is hurt he fills in when needed. I don’t see them running to sign Conforto or wanting to playing Florial for whatever reason, or trading for a CF. Sad to say but Gardy might be the best and easiest option.
San Diego Super Padres need an OF! Gardner would be a nice fit and insurance policy for the inconsistent Profar. He is a savvy vet and gamer that can especially boost a young team.
I don’t think he would ever leave NYY, but SD has zero depth in the OF and could really use a veteran like him to help out there. I’m shocked they haven’t added a LF yet.
why would the yankees keep gardner when they have a durable center fielder in aaron hicks? wait…
I’ve liked Gardner ever since he came up. For at least a few years, he played a flawless LF.
Okay, that was a long time ago, but perhaps the larger question is, what is the Yankees CF alignment? If it’s Gallo/Hicks/Judge, then the backup is what, should Hicks get injured? Gallo to CF and Stanton in LF?
That’s the question, isn’t it.
The Yanks were very reluctant to use Gallo in CF last summer. Instead, they went with Judge when we started our…uh, Jumbo Package. Good for hitting home runs & short yardage.
At this point, Locastro is on the 40 man. Inciarte is in camp. & Florial still exists. &…well, that’s pretty much it.
Just for fun, average games played over the past three seasons (not prorated, max would be 128):
Judge 93
Gallo 93
Hicks 48
Stanton 60
Gardner 110
Maybe you guys have overworked Gardner.
Wow, that’s….embarrassing. What’s worse is we are going into another season relaying on Hicks again.
I’d have no problem with letting Judge and Gallo each get reps in center field. They’re both capable. Stanton can play both corners.
If they could trade for Cedric Mullins, better still.
As would I.
But then I would have held on to Voit if that was my plan. I have been wondering about using that 26th man spot to just add a bat. Any bat. Maybe…Andujar?
I was thinking about Andujar too. If he can pick it up in spring training and start hitting, he could be a viable option in left field occasionally, and DH too. He can even play first in a pinch.
Oh, you & your Cedric Mullins.
Man. That’d play, uh?
Available CF capable 4th outfielders;
Salary dump Grichuk. Toronto would give us a prospect to take him. Above average hitter. RH power. Plays an almost palatable center.
Free agent Tommy Pham. A little less K prone than a typical TTO guy. Above average hitter. Swipes bags. Was the Opening Day CF for the Padres last year. Still available.
@Yankee Clipper’s guy Tyler Naquin. A lefty. .809 OPS in ’21. Big power. Some speed. Can play CF.
A defensive caddy (i.e. Inciarte) would be in order with all 3. Could work though.
Dang! I forgot about Tommy Pham, and now he’s signed a one-year deal with the Reds. He would’ve been a great addition, and Statcast makes him a decent center fielder, too.
We’d better keep it down. Don’t want to wake Brian up.
Been watching Pham for awhile. Was hoping on a Neil Walker/Kris Karter type signing. With better results obviously.
This might make Naquin more available. Believe it or not Deivi for Naquin works on BBTV. Neither have much value ($0.1MM) but I think it makes sense.
I know, I know. But I get excited about the Yanks…
Deivi looked good tonight. Helped his case, for keeps or for trade.
Tommy Phan sucks
He did.
In a few hours, my list was whittled down to: 1.
Naquin or bust!
In this age of analytics, guys like Gardner don’t make the grade when it comes to roster spots. Denard Span couldn’t get a offer and had better numbers than Brett after his last year of service. In any tough decision we have to be careful with letting emotions get the best of our judgment and this is that moment.
Not sure why Gardner declined his player option, if the Yankees weren’t planning on bringing him back.
A true Yankee. But please, just retire already. Cashman should’ve cut ties with this guy 4 years ago. Gardner at this point is a waste of a roster spot and salary
Next year’s title: Brett Gardner Agrees to Pay Yankees to Return for ‘One More Year’
“Hal believes this is the start of something special.”
Good riddance.about time.
Uh, … why?? Seriously, … why?
There MUST be a better option than Gardner somewhere out there. I mean does this guy have anything at all left in the tank?
Beatty
Kinda actually hoping he goes to Toronto so Yankee “fans” actually see how annoying he is to play against. Dude was supposed to be the 4th/5th outfielder for the last 5 years to get 150 starts bc of the fragile nature of the entire Yankees outfield. Kind of hard to be mad at a backup when you’re starting CF, LF and RF LITERALLY miss the majority of most seasons.
2020 was the only year since his rookie year that Judge missed the majority of a season. Literally.
Yankee fans won’t care. Dude is trash
All due respects for his contributions to the game but dont want him wearing a Jays uniform
Admittedly, I’m just an armchair GM like everyone else here but this much focus on a lefty bat is a bit much, right? Like even a whole lineup….if it’s 9 really good right-handed bats, it’s better than 8 real good righties and a mediocre lefty just for the sake of it. Right?
Bradley Zimmer would be a cheap fit, lefty who will need a home soon.
Anthony Volpe’s getting all the love, but my first looks at Oswaldo Cabrera have me thinking he might be underrated. He bats from both sides, but that lefty power swing especially could be big in Yankee Stadium and he looks very athletic on the field. 29 HR and 31 doubles between AA-AAA last year, and he plays short, second and third. I’ll be interested to see how he progresses — if they don’t trade him. At 23, he might be the kind of player the A’s would like.
Just retire Gardy. The game has past you by.
If the choice is Gardy or Locastro, bring back Gardy.
I’d rather they finally gave Florial a shot as the fourth outfielder if they don’t trade him. They base their inertia in promoting him on his minor league hitting, but he hit big league pitching when they brought him up for a couple of weeks. What do they have to lose?
@Fink Ployd, I understand but my thinking is Florial missed a lot of development time due to injuries, then the lost season of Covid, and then they basically bumped him past AA to AAA where he was overmatched. I’d prefer they let him play daily in AAA in his last option year for development and then roster him next year. Life and the Yankees have conspired to really screw up his development, so I’m hoping they can correct it this season.
Jumping in. But I was wondering if he had an option year left. So: thanks. That does change the equation.
He was part of the expanded Covid roster, so ’20 wasn’t a completely lost season anyway. But. Yeah. I guess I wanna rush him. & we shouldn’t.
Like Ployd was saying he’s looked pretty good when we’ve seen him.
I’m with LD99 here only because I believe the more we see of Florial batting the more he’ll annoy us. He did show improvement in September, so maybe it was starting to click? Or maybe it was all SSS noise. Let’s see how he goes in Scranton, and then call him up if it looks like he’s figured things out.
Here’s the thing…why are they leaving Brett hanging? He’s done his duty for god, country and the Yankees. It seems they haven’t told him clearly or not if he’s returning. Why? Give the dude clarity. Bring him back, or set him free so he can truly confront if he wants to retire or play elsewhere.
So what can be going on? Maybe they’re assessing if Hicks is fully healthy and if they want Judge to play 20 to 40 games in CF. If their goal is to play Stanton in the OF a few games a week, then Judge becomes a key rotational player. They don’t want to bring Gardner back if they believe they have it covered with Hicks/Judge in CF, with Locastro as the late-inning defensive guy. Or, Cashman is working on a deal and he won’t commit to Gardner until he knows the deal is dead.
I believe I’ve thought too much about this.
I agree with both of you.
Gardy > Locastro
&
It is time to see what we have in Florial
or
Get a decent 4th outfielder
What happened to The Jays being interested in Conforto? Not a peep on his market in awhile!
Much better to sign the released Beatty
Roy White was a quiet unsung Yankee who got no credit.Gardner gets credit but was way over rated.
Roy White was recognized as the best player on the Yankees for years.
I wouldn’t be surprised if these CFs were traded:
OAK Ramon Laureano
CIN Tyler Naquin
DET Victor Reyes, Derek Hill, Daz Cameron (Focus is on other players)
SEA Kyle Lewis, Taylor Trammell (Its Jerry Depoto)
KCR Michael Taylor
CLE Bradley Zimmer, Oscar Mercado
MIN Jake Cave
CHW Adam Engel
NYY Estevan Florial (Its their M.O.)
Good. Let him go. Trash can player. Never a winner. Never better then mediocre. Never a difference maker. This dead weight should have been cut years ago. Good riddance.
Why we have better already.
He’s like the second best player Cashman has ever drafted. He’s going nowhere except back in NY.
Please tell me the Tapia deal ends this horrific rumor.