The New York Yankees and outside defender Brett Gardner reached an agreement on a $ 4 million one-year contract, sources said to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, confirming several reports.
The business is awaiting a physical examination. It includes a second-year player option that, if rejected, becomes a team option, the sources said.
Gardner, 37, became a free agent in November, when New York turned down a $ 10 million option, generating a purchase of $ 2.5 million. He has been with the Yankees since 2008 and is the last player on the 2009 World Series winning team. His 14-year tenure with a team during his career is tied for fifth among active players.
Gardner reached 0.223 with five homers and 15 RBIs in the reduced season, down from 0.251 with career records of 28 homers and 74 RBIs in 2019. The Yankees agreed to an agreement with a $ 2 million signing bonus and a salary of $ 8 million for 2020, which became $ 2,962,963 in prorated payment.
“Obviously, he has been a great Yankee, but we will see how things work out here,” said Yankees coach Aaron Boone, on Wednesday in spring training in Tampa, Florida.
Boone then said that Clint Frazier was designed as his starting left gardener after making major strides last year in his fourth season with the Yankees. Frazier, 26, hit 0.267 with eight homers and 26 RBIs in 131 hitting during the shortened pandemic season, after hitting 0.267 with 12 homers and 38 RBIs with over 225 hitting in 2019.
Elaborated in the third round by the Yankees in 2005, Gardner has an average of 0.259, 129 homers and 539 RBIs.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.