Brett Gardner

AL Notes: Blue Jays, Yankees, Sox, Frazier

By Connor Byrne | February 19, 2017 at 1:06pm CDT

Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson is likely to sit out the next two to three weeks on account of the right calf strain he suffered Friday, reports John Lott of The Athletic (Twitter link). The durable superstar hasn’t appeared in fewer than 155 games in any of the past four seasons and, barring a setback, it doesn’t appear this injury will affect his Opening Day availability.

Elsewhere in the AL…

When first baseman Chris Carter was still unsigned at the end of January, his agent, Dave Stewart, suggested that the slugger would have to seriously consider signing in Japan. Carter ultimately didn’t have to take such a drastic measure, of course, as he inked a one-year deal with the Yankees earlier this month. Now, it doesn’t seem as though Japan was ever a legitimate possibility for Carter. The 2016 National League co-leader in home runs (41) told reporters – including Randy Miller of NJ.com – on Saturday that the notion of going to Japan was “probably not that real” and “was more just to cover all bases and check all options.” Carter did admit, however, that he “started getting antsy” when February rolled around and he didn’t have a contract. “It’s definitely a tough offseason this year, but it seems like the game is changing a little bit where there is more emphasis on complete players,” he stated.
If Pablo Sandoval doesn’t reestablish himself as a capable third baseman this year, the Red Sox could eventually swing a trade for Todd Frazier of the White Sox, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Chicago will have paid more than half of Frazier’s $12.5MM salary by the trade deadline, which should make the 31-year-old an attractive target for Boston or other contenders, Cafardo observes. Given that the White Sox are amid a rebuild, it seems they’d prefer to ship out established veterans like Frazier sooner than later, as general manager Rick Hahn implied in an interview with MLBTR contributor Brett Ballantini earlier this week.
The Yankees listened to offers for left fielder Brett Gardner over the winter, though no trade materialized. That surprised Gardner, who told Miller on Sunday that he expected a deal to occur. Considering Gardner’s a soon-to-be 34-year-old playing on a team that has committed itself to a youth movement, he could still end up on the move sometime soon. The careerlong Yankee addressed that, saying, “I guess on one hand obviously I don’t want to get traded, but on the other hand the fact that maybe some other teams have interest in me, I see that as a compliment.”
White Sox center fielder Charlie Tilson suffered a stress fracture in his right foot and will cease impact activities for at least 10 days, tweets Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune. If healthy, the 24-year-old Tilson figures to start in center this season for the Sox, who acquired him from the Cardinals last July for reliever Zach Duke. In his big league debut in August, Tilson tore his hamstring and missed the remainder of 2016 as a result.

AL Notes: Dozier, Bautista, Tanaka, Yankees, Tigers

By Steve Adams | January 11, 2017 at 10:21pm CDT

While the Brian Dozier saga has been a drawn out process, it seems that the Twins and Dodgers have agreed to table talks for the time being. Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press adds a bit more on the talks that never gained enough traction to push a deal across the finish line, reporting that Los Angeles wasn’t willing to part with any of Yadier Alvarez, Walker Buehler or Brock Stewart alongside top prospect Jose De Leon. L.A.’s refusal to deal Alvarez or Buehler has been previously reported, though Stewart’s name hasn’t been previously mentioned as a sticking point. As Berardino also adds in his column, Twins GM Thad Levine discussed the talks on Go 96.3 FM, explaining that a hard deadline in talks was never set. However, he also suggested that the Twins won’t be initiating further talks with the Dodgers. “The reality is there’s going to be a point in time in this offseason where we may stop initiating calls but we’re always going to pick up the phone and hear teams out,” said Levine.

Dozier, too, appeared on the show (audio link) and called the trade drama an “eye-opening experience,” adding that it was interesting to “[dig] deeper into how other clubs value you, how the Twins value you, and that kind of thing.”

A few additional notes from the American League…

The Twins were somewhat surprisingly connected to free agent Jose Bautista yesterday, but La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets that the Twins don’t have interest in the slugger. The link between the Twins and Bautista was never characterized as a strong one, as MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger reported that the Twins touched base with Bautista’s agent. They may well have done so out of due diligence — chief baseball officer Derek Falvey said yesterday that the club has an idea of a price point at which they’d be interested in every remaining free agent — and simply found that Bautista is still seeking more than they’d care to commit. Of course, the 36-year-old Bautista doesn’t seem like a great on-paper fit for a team in the Twins’ situation anyhow, though a team with a protected first-round pick (like Minnesota) could perhaps gamble on punting its second pick in the hopes of flipping Bautista this July for greater value.
There’s been no talk of a new contract between the Yankees and Masahiro Tanaka, general manager Brian Cashman tells Mike Mazzeo of the New York Daily News. Tanaka is, of course, technically under contract with the Yankees for another four years, but he also has an opt-out clause in his contract following the 2017 season, which will allow him to re-enter the free agent market if he performs well. “We have a significant contract with Masahiro Tanaka,” said Cashman. “…I think he pitched like a Cy Young award candidate last year, and I certainly hope he does so again this year. But at this point we’ve had no discussions internally to pursue any kind of extension.” Tanaka is just one of three Yankees starters that is set to hit free agency next winter, as lefty CC Sabathia and righty Michael Pineda will also see their contracts expire.
Mazzeo adds that Cashman said he’s “not in active trade talks at all” regarding veteran Yankees like Brett Gardner, Chase Headley or any of his position players. That comes as little surprise, as Cashman has quite recently suggested that the roster, as currently constructed, is the likely roster that the team will take into Spring Training. While both seemed like on-paper trade candidates entering the offseason, neither Gardner nor Headley ever surfaced all that much on the rumor circuit.
Tigers GM Al Avila appeared on 97.1 FM The Ticket in Detroit and discussed the team’s needs in center field, and CBS Detroit’s Will Burchfield has highlights from the interview. Avila acknowledged that the Tigers are keeping tabs on the free agent market, but also cautioned, “…if you look at what you’re going to get in production, you have to evaluate that compared to what you already have in-house.” Avila listed usual candidates Tyler Collins, Anthony Gose and JaCoby Jones as options and also twice mentioned non-roster invite Alex Presley without being prompted (per MLive.com’s Evan Woodbery, on Twitter).
In a full column on Avila’s interview, Woodbery notes that the GM said he’s fielded calls about left-handed reliever Justin Wilson this winter but decided there’s more value to Wilson opening the year in the bullpen. Wilson, as Woodbery notes, could boost his value with improved results this season and become a more appealing trade chip this summer. As I noted when previewing the Tigers’ offseason in October, Wilson’s bottom-line results were rather pedestrian, but his secondary stats suggest that he should see a rebound from 2016’s lackluster 4.14 ERA.

AL Notes: Rajai, Gardner, Blue Jays, Dozier, Red Sox

By Mark Polishuk | December 31, 2016 at 2:26pm CDT

Here’s the latest from around the American League…

Money could prevent a reunion between Rajai Davis and the Indians, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. The Tribe would like to bring back the veteran outfielder, though there isn’t any payroll space after Cleveland went above and beyond their financial comfort zone to land Edwin Encarnacion. Pluto thinks Davis could only come back to the Tribe if he fails to drum up enough interest from other teams, though that seems unlikely given his still-excellent baserunning. It’s worth noting that the Orioles are the only team known to have interest in Davis’ services this winter, so if his market continues to be quiet, it wouldn’t seem to be out of the question that Davis returns to Cleveland next year.
In a recent piece about the Blue Jays and Jose Bautista, Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star cites Brett Gardner as one of multiple “trade avenues to explore” for the Jays before they would considering re-signing Bautista. The Yankees are known to have received some interest in Gardner this winter, and this is the first time Toronto has been linked to the veteran, though Griffin’s comment could imply more a due-diligence type of a check-in on the Blue Jays’ part rather than a solid interest. Gardner’s overall hitting numbers declined in 2016, though he still checks a lot of boxes for the Jays as a good on-base threat and leadoff man, a left-handed hitter and an excellent baserunner and defensive left fielder. The 33-year-old is owed $25MM in guaranteed salary over the next two seasons. A complicating factor, of course, could be the fact that the two teams are division rivals — the Blue Jays and Yankees haven’t collaborated on a trade since 2002.
The Twins have some leverage in shopping Brian Dozier since, as the slugging second baseman is under contract for two more affordable years, Minnesota can simply keep Dozier in the fold if it can’t find an acceptable trade offer for him this winter. In his latest subscription-only column, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney warns that waiting to find a perfect deal for Dozier is something of a risk for the Twins, as Dozier’s value may never be higher than it is right now. Dozier is prone to extended slumps (he hit very poorly in the last two months of the 2015 season and in the first two months of the 2016 season) that could lower his trade value if he gets off to another slow start.
Also from Olney, he opines that “it seems inevitable” that the Red Sox will be looking for (ironically) a Clay Buchholz-like pitcher in trade talks, if not necessarily re-acquiring Buchholz himself from the Phillies. Boston dealt Buchholz two weeks ago in order to get his salary off the books for luxury tax purposes and to alleviate a seeming rotation surplus. With Eduardo Rodriguez suffering another (apparently minor) injury to his surgically-repaired right knee and Steven Wright and Drew Pomeranz also carrying injury concerns from last year, there are certainly some questions about the last two spots in the Red Sox rotation.

East Notes: Chapman, Marlins, Nationals, Eaton, Yankees, Gardner, Mets

By charliewilmoth | December 8, 2016 at 1:10pm CDT

Aroldis Chapman agreed to an $86MM guarantee from the Yankees last night, but the Marlins offered him a bigger guarantee of $87MM, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. The Yankees’ deal contains additional value for Chapman in the form of an opt-out clause after three years, and the terms of the Marlins’ offer might have been different. (FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets that the salary distribution in the Yankees’ deal, which includes a large signing bonus, was better, and Chapman also liked the no-trade clause.) Still, last night, Chapman specifically cited a desire to return to the Yankees as a key reason for his decision. Here’s more from the East divisions.

The conventional wisdom was that the Nationals paid too heavily for Adam Eaton this week, Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post writes. One key to the trade from the Nationals’ perspective, though, is that the organization had changed its mind about Lucas Giolito, with one team official telling Svrluga, “He’s not going to be what I thought he was going to be.” Also, Eaton (who is controllable for the next five years) offered the Nationals a long-term outfield solution that Andrew McCutchen wouldn’t have — McCutchen would have been eligible for free agency after the 2018 season, at the same time as Bryce Harper, and the Nats would have been forced to address two outfield positions at once.
GM Brian Cashman says the Yankees have completed their biggest moves this offseason, “unless I trade (Brett) Gardner,” as related by MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (on Twitter). Hoch adds that Cashman has rejected trade offers for third baseman Chase Headley. The Yankees, of course, have agreed to terms with Chapman and Matt Holliday to upgrade their bullpen and DH spot. The Yankees have listened to offers for Gardner this week.
With the Winter Meetings in the books, the Mets will now attempt to trade Jay Bruce or another outfielder, and they’ll try to add relief pitching on short-term deals, ESPN’s Adam Rubin tweets. Earlier this week, the Mets reportedly were interested in a Curtis Granderson / Brad Brach deal with the Orioles that would have addressed both needs, but that trade seems unlikely.

Orioles Notes: Dyson, Gardner, Trumbo

By charliewilmoth | December 7, 2016 at 5:26pm CDT

Here’s the latest on the Orioles, who seem to have spent the day so far in pursuit of position players:

The Orioles have recently spoken to the Royals about outfielder Jarrod Dyson, FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets. (The Athletics emerged yesterday as another possible suitor for the Royals, and Heyman identified the Orioles and Rangers as other possibilities.) Dyson is a free agent after next season, and the Royals might look to deal him as they plan their way ahead. For the Orioles or for whichever team acquires him, he’ll be a cheap, versatile, lefty-swinging outfield option who brings outstanding baserunning and defense.
Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner could be a fit for the O’s, Heyman tweets. The Orioles, however, would like to have the Yankees pay down some of Gardner’s remaining salary (a total of $25MM guaranteed over the next two seasons). At last check, the Yankees had been listening to offers for Gardner. Whether the Yankees would want to trade Gardner within the division remains to be seen, however.
The Orioles remain interested in retaining Mark Trumbo, MASN’s Roch Kubatko writes. The two sides have agreed that Trumbo’s deal to stay in Baltimore should be four years. They’re far apart on the price of the deal, however. As Kubatko noted yesterday, the Orioles also don’t want to give Trumbo a no-trade clause.

Yankees Continuing To Listen To Offers For Brett Gardner

By charliewilmoth | December 6, 2016 at 4:34pm CDT

The Yankees are listening to offers for outfielder Brett Gardner, but have not yet traded him because they haven’t yet received an offer suitable to them, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com writes.

“He’s here not because I can’t move him; he’s here because I’m not comfortable moving him, or haven’t been satisfied in my asks that would make me move him,” says GM Brian Cashman. “You’re going through the process, and you see if that changes. So far to this point, I’ve said no to a lot of different concepts thrown my way on it.”

The 33-year-old Gardner is guaranteed $25MM over the next two seasons, including a $2MM buyout on his $12.5MM option for 2019. He’s remained quietly productive in his last few seasons as a Yankee, with a skill set built around on-base percentage, respectable corner outfield defense, and very good baserunning. At last check, though, he wasn’t receiving significant trade interest, although, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams pointed out last week, that might change once more free agent outfielders come off the board. Gardner remains atop the Yankees’ depth chart in left field, although his departure could open playing time for a higher-wattage acquisition, for one of the Yankees’ younger players or even, occasionally, for new acquisition Matt Holliday (who figures to play mostly DH).

Heyman’s Latest: Sale, Encarnacion, Astros, Martinez, Mets, Yankees, CarGo

By Steve Adams | December 2, 2016 at 9:18am CDT

The Nationals, Astros, Red Sox, Rangers and Braves are at the forefront of the Chris Sale market, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman in his latest notes column. However, an exec with one of those clubs that spoke to Heyman still said he’s not sure that Sale is moved at all due to the exorbitant nature of the White Sox’ asking price. The Nationals, for instance, have been asked for Trea Turner as part of the package but have balked at the idea, Heyman notes, with one Washington source calling the budding star “too valuable” to part with. It’s similarly difficult to envision a player like Alex Bregman or Dansby Swanson being moved for Sale as well. The White Sox do like Dodgers prospect Cody Bellinger, writes Heyman, but L.A. has yet to show a significant inclination to pursue Sale, he adds. (And, from my vantage point, the Dodgers would need to add quite a bit more than Bellinger to a Sale package anyhow.)

A few more highlights…

The Yankees, Astros and Blue Jays all remain in the mix for Edwin Encarnacion, but Heyman joins others in writing that Twitter reports of a deal between Houston and Encarnacion were premature. The Astros are being aggressive on Encarnacion, according to Heyman, though agent Paul Kinzer told him that there are “a couple” of other teams in the mix beyond this group as well. Perhaps signaling their desire to add an impact bat, the Astros made a legitimate run at Yoenis Cespedes both this offseason and last winter, Heyman adds, noting that last winter’s pursuit flew largely under the radar.
One general manager who has spoken to the Tigers about a J.D. Martinez trade tells Heyman that he believes Martinez is “all but certain” to be traded. Detroit, Heyman points out, is now the somewhat surprising MLB payroll leader with several Dodgers hitting free agency and with the Yankees trading Brian McCann.
The Mets would like to add not one but two left-handed relievers to their bullpen, Heyman writes. They’re interested in a reunion with southpaw Jerry Blevins, who spent the past two seasons in the organization, but other reports have indicated that Blevins is likely to receive a multi-year deal that will exceed the Mets’ comfort zone. The Mets might also consider adding catching help, though that’s not characterized as a priority in this report, which also notes that the team considers Michael Conforto to be close to untouchable in trade talks.
The Yankees have spoken to other teams about third baseman Chase Headley and outfielder Brett Gardner but received minimal interest in that pair. Headley has $26MM in guaranteed money remaining on his deal and quietly rebounded from a disastrous start to post a solid overall season in the Bronx last year, while Gardner is owed a similar $25MM through 2018 and also has a club option for the 2019 season on his deal. Gardner would seem to have more trade value to me, and perhaps teams would show more interest later in the winter once some of the free-agent options in the outfield have come off the board.
There’s been no formal extension offer made by the Rockies to Carlos Gonzalez, who said last week that the team has expressed interest in an extension. According to Heyman, that could be due to the fact that initial suggestions were deemed “too low” by Gonzalez’s camp to even merit an official offer. CarGo is just one year away from free agency and could be an appealing trade piece for the Rox this summer if the team doesn’t contend in 2017.

Latest On The Yankees’ Offseason

By charliewilmoth | November 23, 2016 at 5:40pm CDT

The Yankees’ top relief target this winter is their own former closer Aroldis Chapman, but they have made contact with other stars at various positions as well, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag Sports writes. The Yankees have also been in touch with closer Kenley Jansen (although they prefer Chapman, since he’s pitched for them before and since signing him wouldn’t cost them a draft pick) as well as hitters Carlos Beltran, Edwin Encarnacion, Yoenis Cespedes, Jose Bautista, as has been previously reported. They’ve also likely spoken to representatives for starters Rich Hill (in whom top Yankees exec Brian Cashman has stated interest) and Jason Hammel (about whom the Yankees were previously known to be gathering information).

Encarnacion, Heyman writes, could be a high priority for the Yankees, although he also reports that the team has spoken with Cespedes’ agent up to five times already. As has been previously noted, the Yankees are involved in Beltran’s market, along with the Astros, Red Sox and perhaps Rangers.

Heyman also adds a few new names to the mix: those of Dexter Fowler, Matt Holliday, Mike Napoli and Brandon Moss. The Yankees currently have Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury and Aaron Judge in the outfield and Tyler Austin at DH, but Judge and Austin are inexperienced, and the Yankees could trade Gardner to clear playing time and payroll space for an impact bat.

Heyman cites Napoli, who is coming off a solid .239/.335/.465 season in Cleveland, as one option who could be particularly intriguing. Napoli or Holliday could help the Yankees at DH, while Fowler would likely play the outfield, and Moss could help in the outfield or first base, or at DH. Either way, it’s unclear to this point whether the Yankees are looking for one player for outfield and DH or two.

Yankees Notes: Headley, Gardner, Cespedes, Beltran, Hammel

By Mark Polishuk | November 19, 2016 at 9:08am CDT

The Yankees have received trade inquiries about both third baseman Chase Headley and left fielder Brett Gardner, GM Brian Cashman told reporters (including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch). “They’re still here and they’re here for a reason, but we’ll see,” Cashman said. “We have our interest in getting younger and stronger and more flexible, and improve our present and our future. If all that provides that opportunity, then I think I’ll be talking to our owner and see if he’ll consider it.”

The switch-hitting Headley hit .253/.331/.385 with 14 homers over 529 PA last season, as he sandwiched four months of pretty good hitting between a dreadful April and a mediocre September. While he posted below-average numbers at the plate (92 wRC+) for the second consecutive year, Headley rebounded from a poor defensive year in 2015 to deliver his usual strong performance at the hot corner in 2016, with +7 Defensive Runs Runs Saved and 8.6 UZR/150.

Powered by his defense and a tremendous year on the basepaths (3.9 on Fangraphs’ Baserunning metric), Headley was worth 2.6 fWAR in 2016, which made him more than worth his $13MM salary. The veteran will earn $13MM in each of the next two seasons and turns 33 in May, however, so it makes sense that New York is at least open to listening to offers for Headley’s services as part of the club’s continuing effort to get both younger and cheaper. Since the Yankees don’t have another obvious third base option immediately ready to step in, trading Headley could be a precursor to another move to adding a third baseman.

Gardner is also entering his age-33 season, and is guaranteed $25MM over the next two seasons (counting the $2MM buyout of his $12.5MM club option for 2019). The veteran outfielder hit .261/.351/.362 with seven home runs over 634 PA and ended up with a pretty similar season to Headley — 2.4 fWAR built on excellent defense and baserunning moreso than hitting. Aside from his injury-shortened 2012, Gardner has produced at least 2.3 fWAR in every season since 2009, so it’s no surprise that teams looking for an outfield upgrade have been in touch with Cashman.

If Gardner is dealt, the Yankees could replace him in a big way in left field with Yoenis Cespedes. Cashman confirmed that he had spoken to Cespedes’ representatives and that he expects more talks to take place now that the Yankees have freed up some payroll by dealing Brian McCann.

Signing the 31-year-old Cespedes (MLBTR’s top-rated free agent on the market) would obviously cost the Yankees over $100MM and commit them to a deal well into Cespedes’ mid-30’s, which may not jibe with the team’s overall desire to get younger. Cespedes is quite a bit younger and probably more likely to remain productive in 2017 than veterans like Carlos Beltran or Jose Bautista, though those older players would also be available on much shorter contracts. Cespedes in particular would be able to replace Gardner’s defense as well, while Beltran or Bautista have defensive limitations.

“I’m going to be open-minded to what’s available,” Cashman said. “We now will pursue bats, but we’ll see if it takes us anywhere. It could be a DH-only situation; obviously the preference always is going to be someone that can provide positional ability so you have more flexibility on your roster. We’ll see where it takes us.”

The general manager acknowledged interest in reunions with Beltran and Aroldis Chapman, both dealt by the Yankees in the leadup to last year’s trade deadline.

Hoch also reports that “the Yankees have started the information-gathering process” in regards to both Rich Hill and Jason Hammel. Hill was already known to be a potential New York target this winter, while this is the first time Hammel has been linked to the Yankees (or any team) since the Cubs surprisingly declined his option after the World Series. The 34-year-old Hammel is a reliable and productive innings-eater who would be a good fit in the Yankees rotation, though his price tag could be driven up since free agent pitching is so scarce this offseason.

Cafardo’s Latest: CBA, BoSox, Bautista, Votto, Tigers, Yanks, Hoyer

By Connor Byrne | November 13, 2016 at 8:43am CDT

The absence of a new collective bargaining agreement has representatives for top free agents like Yoenis Cespedes and Edwin Encarnacion concerned, and could lead to delays in signing, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The current CBA, set to expire Dec. 1, includes a $189MM luxury tax threshold. Big-spending teams that are near the $189MM figure could hold off on adding high-end free agents (Cespedes and Encarnacion, to name a couple) until the CBA situation is resolved because they might face penalties under the next agreement if the luxury tax number doesn’t increase. One club it will affect is the Red Sox, according to Cafardo, who expects them to pursue Encarnacion if the threshold rises. Otherwise, they’re likely settle for a less expensive bat like Carlos Beltran.

Headlines

Brett Gardner

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect