Yankees should pass on Brett Gardner deal after declining option

The Yankees should use their money for other things after declining Brett Gardner’s $10 million option for 2021.

What the Yankees do over the next several weeks will ultimately be deemed a success if and only if they spend elsewhere to the best of their capabilities, and make sure to save enough money to bring back DJ LeMahieu in a parched free agent market.

But, as it stands now, we still have to mentally operate as if the team will be stingy, even following the Zack Britton option decision.

Every small deal has to be seen as money being vacated from the LeMahieu chase, or the selection of a starter or two, or the fortification of the bench, and so on.

So, therefore, when the Yankees officially declined Brett Gardner’s $10 million option for 2021, triggering a $2.5 million buyout in his direction, we were forced to assess the situation. As of now, with finances still a worry, we think the Yankees should move on from Gardy entirely.

Now, $2.5 million is a bit of a hefty goodbye, if that’s the last dollar spent between these two parties. A “reasonable” deal might ultimately add up to $5 million or so to have Gardner return to the Bronx.

But is that worth it? $5 million for someone who, on the best version of the Yankees’ 2021 roster, doesn’t play, finally ceding the majority of his games to Clint Frazier?

The Yankees should be a financial behemoth that should be able to shell out that sum for a fifth outfielder, depth piece and clubhouse presence. But in 2021, will they be what they should be? Or will they turtle, using the Britton money and this theoretical Gardner money as an excuse to stop adding pieces and overplay an aging Gardner?

The 37-year-old Gardner scuffled in 2020, looking cooked before heating up in the final few weeks of the shortened season. By the playoffs, he had essentially bounced back to his 2017 postseason levels, hitting .375 and .364 in his two 2020 series. And you can’t forget he still has sneaky pop. That’s all valuable!

But if Gardner at $5 or $6 million is the difference between DJ LeMahieu’s return and departure, then we’ll pass. If he’s the difference between bringing two veteran starters in, or absorbing Brad Hand’s deal, then we can’t condone it.

If the Yankees are willing to spend real money, we’ll change our mind. But this is the first offseason where a sweetheart Gardner deal really might prevent the team from making other necessary additions.

And we have to abide by 2020-21 rules with our assessment.

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