According to reports, New York Yankees and veteran free agent outfielder Brett Gardner They hadn’t been in negotiations until last week, but that seems to have changed. The two parties will keep in contact and working together. The Yankees have agreed to re-sign left-handed outfielder Gardner, pending a physical, noted New York Post journalist Ken Davidoff.
It’s a one-year deal with player and team options for 2022, according to famed MLB Network reporter Jon Heyman. Gardner, a client of Meister Sports Management, will win a $ 4MM guarantee. He could make about $ 11 million if the Yankees choose the option next year, Heyman adds.
The Yankees declined Gardner’s $ 10MM option for 2021 in favor of $ 2.5MM after last season, but this new deal doesn’t come as any kind of surprise. After all, the 37-year-old has been a member of the club for his entire career since he debuted in 2008 and remains an asset despite his advanced age.
Gardner is still adept at managing left and center field, and posted another above-average offensive performance in 2020. While his batting average was not good, his overall line of .223 / .354 / .392 in 158 appearances in the plate was about 10 percent better than the league average, according to OPS + and wRC +. He is also an immensely respected member of the team’s clubhouse.
Gardner would serve as a highly-rated fourth outfielder on a team that has Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks and Clint Frazier lined up to start on the grass. The Yankees are aiming to stay below the $ 210 million luxury tax threshold this year, and rehiring Gardner shouldn’t prevent them from doing so, as Jason Martinez of Roster Resource / FanGraphs estimates they are a little below 202 million dollars now.
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