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New York Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner makes catch in the left field corner on a ball hit by Boston Red Sox’s Ian Kinsler to end the top of the first inning of Game 4 of baseball’s American League Division Series. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
The Yankees have brought back their longest-tenured active player, signing outfielder Brett Gardner to a $7.5 million, one-year deal on Wednesday after declining the $12.5 million club option from his previous contract. Choosing to forego that option resulted in a $2 million buyout, meaning that the 35-year-old will actually be making $9.5 million to don the pinstripes next season.
“It hurts right now but this team, got a lot of young guys in this room. The future is bright,” Gardner said following New York’s season-ending loss to the eventual World Series champion Red Sox. “Going to keep working and be even better because of this next year.”
A third-round draft pick in 2005, Gardner will be entering his twelfth season in the Bronx and slides back in to what could be a very crowded outfield. Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Hicks are all set to return.
Jacoby Ellsbury, who did not play at all this year, is recovering from hip surgery and is expected to be ready for spring training. He is owed a shade above $42 million over the next two seasons, followed by a $21 million club option in 2021 – which is accompanied by a $5 million buyout.
Prized prospect Clint Frazier could also be a factor, as the 24-year-old continues to deal with post-concussion symptoms that cost him most of 2018.
A Gold Glove winner two years ago, Gardner spent the majority of this past season in left field and remains an above-average defender.
The lefty leadoff man produced the worst offensive output of his career, however, finishing with the lowest batting average (.236), on-base percentage (.322), OPS (.690) and OPS+ (86) since he played 42 games as a rookie in 2008. Baseball Reference and Fangraphs did calculate a 2.8 and 2.5 WAR for the season, lower than most of Gardner’s past campaigns but respectable nonetheless.
Despite those struggles Gardner shows patience and knows how to work the count, ranking 14th in all of baseball with 4.23 pitches seen per plate appearance. This figure lines up with his career average (4.24), which trails only two notoriously selective hitters in Mike Trout (4.27) and Matt Carpenter (4.25) among active players with at least 3,000 PAs.
Retaining a well-liked clubhouse leader that still has something to offer for a savings of $3 million seems like a sensible move for New York, who could deploy the scrappy outfielder in multiple roles.
Gardner is a .261 (1,232-for-4,729) career hitter with 790 runs scored, 204 doubles, 61 triples, 96 home runs, 450 RBIs, 561 walks and a .344 on-base percentage. He is a 37.5 (Baseball Reference) or 32.9 (Fangraphs) WAR player over eleven seasons.
A former All-Star, Gardner ranks third on New York’s all-time stolen base list with 257 (Derek Jeter-358, Rickey Henderson-326) and is one of just five Yankees’ draftees to tally at least 1,000 hits with the Bombers.
Shortly after the Yankees’ season ended at the hands of division-rival Boston, shortstop Didi Gregorius was asked if it would be odd not having Gardner or veteran left-hander CC Sabathia on the roster next year.
“Definitely, definitely,” Gregorius said. “Trust me, their leadership means a lot to all of us.”
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