Predicting the Yankees’ Moves at the Upcoming Winter Meetings

Gardy’s Going, Going, Gone

Even after the Brian McCann trade, I don’t think general manager Brian Cashman is done moving veterans. Ownership may be standing in the way of a full-on rebuild, but the team was able to move McCann because they had a clear replacement ready in Gary Sanchez. I think Brett Gardner is in a similar situation, with Aaron Hicks, Mason Williams, Clint Frazier, and Dustin Fowler lined up behind him.

If the Yankees do decide to deal Gardner at the Winter Meetings, there are plenty of teams who would make sense as a destination for the veteran speedster. The Nationals, Cardinals, Mariners, Rangers, and Phillies are all clubs who could use an upgrade in left or center field as well as a top-of-the-order bat.

In the past, it has been reported that New York has sought a young, controllable starter in any Gardner trade discussions. Names that came up in last winter’s rumor mill were James Paxton of the M’s, Trevor Bauer of the Indians, and Matt Shoemaker of the Angels.

After another year of declining power, it no longer seems reasonable to ask for a starter of that caliber for Gardy, but a nice pitching prospect or two in the upper-minors could still be feasible.

Nothing concrete has emerged on the Gardner front as of yet, but as we saw with the McCann talks, a deal can come together pretty quickly once the rumors begin swirling. I would say there is no better than a 50-50 chance that Gardy is still with the organization when the Meetings end on December 9th.