Yankees, Brett Gardner Agree to Deal; What it Means For New York

Brett Gardner will return to the New York Yankees for a 14th season, agreeing to a one-year deal. Gardner won't start in 2021, but he can help the Yankees win

Brett Gardner is back in pinstripes.

The veteran outfielder and longest-tenured player on the Yankees roster agreed to a one-year deal with New York on Friday night, per Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.

The deal, pending a physical, is reportedly worth $4 million guaranteed and includes both a player and team option for 2022, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.

Gardner hit free agency this offseason and for some time, it looked like the outfielder's lengthy tenure in the Bronx might be coming to an end. Nonetheless, with a few days to go before position players report to Yankees camp in Tampa, Gardner is officially coming back for a 14th season.

Asked during his daily managerial presser on Friday afternoon about several recent departures, leaving this roster with only one player that has won a World Series ring (Aroldis Chapman), Aaron Boone allowed a smirk to creep across his face.

"At this point," he said.

It may have seemed like a throwaway remark at the time, alluding to Gardner's potential return, but it was actually some serious foreshadowing. 

Gardner will report to camp facing a different role than he has in previous years. Boone named Clint Frazier New York's starting left fielder earlier this week. That isn’t expected to change just because of Gardner’s return.

The 37-year-old hit .223 with five home runs and a .747 OPS in 49 games this past year. He's still got some pop in his left-handed swing, and speed on the outfield grass, but Frazier proved his worth as a starter this past year. 

With Aaron Hicks in center field, Gardner will be transitioning into more of a bench role in 2021. As the only remaining member of the 2009 championship team in this clubhouse, however, his impact will be felt in more ways than one as this roster looks to return to a World Series. 

Mike Tauchman and Greg Allen are currently the other backup outfielders on New York's roster. Should Hicks, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton run into injuries again this year, it’s likely that Gardner would be the one to take their place. Both Tauchman and Allen are out of minor-league options and could be at risk of getting designated for assignment if they fail to make the big-league roster out of camp.

Non-roster invitees Jay Bruce or Derek Dietrich are also impacted by Gardner’s signing, though both players could still provide plenty of value for the Yankees. Should they make the team, Bruce, a 13-year veteran, is New York’s most viable lefty-power outfielder off the bench, while Dietrich gives the Yankees another left-handed bat with power and defensive versatility in the infield. Then again, with this team's injury track record, who knows how many bats will be needed in 2021.

Gardner caps off what was a productive offseason for the Yankees. New York brought back DJ LeMahieu while signing the likes of right-handers Corey Kluber and Darren O'Day. The Bombers also traded for hurler Jameson Taillon to further bolster the rotation.

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