MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees Plan To Keep All-Star Outfielder But Under Own Terms

KEY POINTS

The New York Yankees are pitching a reasonable offer to keep Brett Gardner
Gardner prefers to stay with the Yankees but open to other options
The Yankees are crunching numbers to assemble a good cast for the coming MLB season

The New York Yankees have taken in a lot of talent in the MLB offseason, raising questions on whether they had enough to keep outfielder Brett Gardner.

It appears the team has found a way to keep the 37-year-old All-Star with a slightly better offer.

A potential Gardner return to New York was technically addressed by Yankees manager Aaron Boone.

The 47-year-old responded to questions on Gardner’s future during a Spring Training press conference on Wednesday.

New York plans to pitch a $3 million contract offer to the outfielder, an amount that would also help the Yanks stay under the luxury tax worth $210 million. It would also give them a bit more flexibility for other additions.

The offer would be in addition to the $2.5 million buyout option that Gardner holds. He allegedly prefers to stay with the Yankees but would be open to exploring other options if he is forced to do so.

The Yankees have interest in bringing back Brett Gardner, but at their price it seems. And that is likely around $3M, which could enable them to stay under the $210M threshold. Gardy prefers to return but would have outside interest if he feels forced to look.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 18, 2021

If both sides agree, the Yankees will have to do some personnel tweaking. This involves the status of Justin Wilson whose contract numbers have yet to be known.

Also, Luis Severino could be placed on the 60-day IL as New York tries to financially iron things out.

Wilson is speculated to get roughly the same $3 million across his name. Adding that amount to what the Yanks have offered Brett Gardner, New York would end up with roughly $3 to $4 million to spare.

The $3 million offer to Gardner is seen as a win-win situation for both sides. It may only be a matter of time before the deal is sealed, diverting the attention of pundits to other moves that New York may be up to.

All that could gain some clarity once the injury report on players comes out by Spring Training.

Brett Gardner Yankees 2015 — If he keeps up his power numbers from a year ago, Yankees speedster and outfielder Brett Gardner could be a major fantasy sleeper in 2015. Reuters

Gardner remains a vital piece for the Yankees, particularly his leadership. He has proven he can still get on base, putting up a .354 OBP in 49 games last season.

His numbers may have been falling, but he has answered the call when needed.

Should that planned $3 million pitch stick, it will be interesting if other MLB teams would try to dangle something much higher.

Unless something like that pops up, Gardner is staying with the Yankees as of the 2021-22 MLB season.

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