SU has always viewed Brett Gardner as a very good 4th outfielder. He’s a good guy in the clubhouse, excellent defensively, fast (although never tries stealing enough given his speed) and has a high on-base percentage. He will hit .260 with 10-15 home runs and 40 rbis. Solid. You can win with him starting if you have some boppers in the other positions which the Yankees have had the last couple of years since the end of the Chase Headley Era.
But…. if the goal is to catch up to the Astros and Red Sox, are the Yankees on the right path? SU says it does give you insurance in case Hicks leaves as a free agent, and also depth when someone gets hurt which Hicks always does and Judge did last year. My concern is does this hurt Clint Frazier’s chance to win a starting spot or will he be a concussion risk for the rest of his career? The wild card is Jacoby Ellsbury who is a paper cut away from being out 4 months. It’s a 1-year deal so that’s good and it’s for less money. SU is a bit torn here. I want Frazier to get a legitimate shot to win an outfield position and Gardner will hold him back. Cashman can’t count on Ellsbury but he must have at least 2 more years left – maybe 3 on his awful contract. Of course, if you are going to trade Stanton in the off-season and that’s why you re-signed him, SU is all in.
Bottom line: it’s not an upgrade. The team needs starting pitching and hitters who can hit the ball other than home runs. Feels like they are standing pat. Is SU wrong on this?
Sports Update Intergalactic 
tWO STARTING DOMINANT PITCHERS ARE REQUIRED. THE SOX AND ASTROS HAVE 3 THAT ARE AS GOOD OR BETTER THAN OUR #1 PITCHER… WHOM I’M NOT SURE WHO IS OUR #1 ANYWAY.
I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU ABOUT GIVING CLINT FRAZIER A REAL SHOT TO BE THE EVERYDAY LEFT FIELDER. WHO ON THE YANKEES BESDIES GARDNER WHO WAS NOT INJURED THIS PAST SEASON. WITH GARDNER AS YOUR #9 HITTER THAT’S PRETTY DAMN GOOD. IF THAT’S OUR ACHILLES HEEL OFFENSIVELY I’LL TAKE THAT ALL DAY LONG. NOW IF FRAZIER CAN BE OUR #1 HITTER THEN I AM OK WITH OUR LINEUP. JUST GET ME SOME LIGHTS OUT STARTING PITCHERS. PLEASE.
Who exactly were the Yankees bidding against to pay Gardner that much money?
Well, Gardner had an option for even more money which the Yankees declined. I suspect Gardner could have gotten more money on the free agent market for more years but he wasn’t interested in going anywhere else. He had said that. $7.5 million for one year for a starting outfielder is actually fairly cheap I think.
He will be 36 during the season next year and coming off a year in which he batted .236.
Agreed. At age 36, he is likely in the 1-year contract phase of life now. The Yankees always pay a premium and I think Cashman is looking for a safety net given Ellsbury”s brittle body and Frazier’s concussion issues. No hometown discount but on the other hand, he’s a known commodity. We will know soon if $7.5 million is a fair price in this year’s free agent market.
IMO I think it was time to cut bait with Gardner. He was a good on base guy, but last year proved otherwise. Although he is fast and a great outfielder, he is not a good hitter, especially at leadoff, takes a ton of strikes and his speed is misleading because he cannot steal a base. It’s time to move on from him and CC. Hopefully Frazier can get healthy and be given a chance because he is a firey player that is not a HR or K, which they desperately need.
Remember Yankees paid Gardner $2M to buy out his option so he’s really making $9.5M. Does anyone really believe that Ellsbury will be on the opening day roster next year? Include him in the Sonny Gray package.
The Yankees are always willing to buy insurance even if it is a bit pricey. Not many teams can afford to do that and I give them a lot of credit. $7.5 Mil for a starter is cheap but it is very expensive for a 4th OF and extremely expensive for a 5th OF. Fraizer and Ellsbury (and even Hicks) can not be counted on so CYA with a loyal lifetime player who is a plus in the locker room. If either of the injured guys comes back there is more ammunition for a trade.
Now what happens if Harper says please sign me, being a Yankee is my lifelong dream. 3 years/$90 Mil? Hard to say no to that. Maybe the team can even find a way to flip Stanton to the SF Giants for New York boy 2B Joe Panik. Move Gleybar to SS and the lineup is looking well balanced 1-9. Everyone is happy! What do you think?
Jeff, I suspect Harper has an agent like Scott Boras (and maybe it is him) and he will be shopped around in the $40 million a year range for 8+ years. And I say no way is he worth that and the Yankees should stay away. But you raise a good point and I don’t see how they keep Hicks then if they go that route.