Sunday, February 23, 2014

Yankees To Extend Gardner 4 Years $52 Million


Maybe times are changing here in Yankeeland as for the first time since the first Robinson Cano extension the Yankees have extended one of their homegrown players before hitting free agency. Gardner signed a four year deal worth $52 million with an option for a fifth year. The fifth year is a $12.5 million club option with a $2 million buyout and apparently it kicks in next season.

A few weeks ago the Yankees and Gardner agreed on a one year deal worth $5.6 million avoiding arbitration for the 2014 season so I guess you could say technically this is a five year deal with a sixth year club option. For the next five seasons after 2014, including the option, Gardner will be paid $12.5 million annually and will get an extra $1 million if traded during the deal, which means he doesn't have a no trade clause.


34 comments:

  1. Another superb signing !!...........Brett Gardner, this is so smart. Great job.
    This will put an end to all those Gardner rumors.
    This is such a terrific dynamic for this line-up. When Beltron becomes more of a DH type, and they add
    a younger Paul O'Neil type to that outfield...watch out.
    Great day, only wish it was closer to cocktail hour.

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    1. Exactly, this for sure adds Beltran to the DH slot next season.

      You also have to consider Gardner's AAV to a very comparable Jacoby Ellsbury.

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  2. Ok Patrick Here goes on why this was a terrible signing. First Brett Gardner plays a position that is known as a power hitting position. We are all aware that my daughter has more power then BG has. Second he can't bunt to save his life and someone with that speed could gain 15 more hits a year if he could lay down a bunt. Third with his speed he stole 24 basses last year not what I would call stellar numbers. He is a great defensive OF but I have said for years he is a 4th OF or D replacement in the laster innings. You don't give this guy 12.5 Million a year or whatever salary structure they used to get to the 52 Million. This guy is a punch and judy hitter and who in their right mind is running the asylum. What happened to the practice of the Yankees not negotiating until the contract is up? They did that all these years and now with this player they get bold? Terrible signing at least at that money.

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    1. Gardner is now a left fielder, not necessarily a power hitting position as much as you would think.

      Brian Cashman has said the whole "no extensions during a contract" era is finally over. That means David Robertson is next.

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  3. KEN HANS :
    Another terrible signing !!...........Brett Gardner, this is so lame / dumb. Awful job.
    This will reignite all those Gardner trade rumors.
    This weakens the dynamic for this line-up. When Beltron becomes more of a DH type, and they add
    a younger Paul O'Neil type to that outfield...there will be no one to bunt him over.
    Great way to ruin a good day. Glad it's finally cocktail hour.

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  4. Mr Hans.. First, I think the Yankees made this deal because Jeter is retiring and Gardner is the only position player we have left that is homegrown. Second, I think you need to do a little research to understand just how valuable Gardner is. Let's start with the fact that he is an elite defender. His first 2 seasons he was a part time player and posted positive WARs. 2010 & 2011 he was a starter and posted a WAR of 7.4 and 3.9. He was injured in 2012, but posted a WAR of 4.2 in 2013. To put things in perspective, Ellsbury has a total WAR of 21 in 7 seasons. Gardner has a WAR of 19.3 in 6 seasons. All of this is by baseball reference.com, so you can probably find some descrepancies on different websites. If this year's average WAR has been worth $6million, how is $12.5million a year bad for one of our own?

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    1. Jeff:

      I don't go by those fancy stats that you are using I go by old school stats and lets look at them and see if you understand where I am coming from. I am old school and though Gardner is a plus defender he is weak at numerous things. A corner OF position is that of a power hitter. in 2010 he played in 150 games and had 477 at bats with 5 HR. on top of that he had 47 RBI and 101 K's to 79 walks.. Ok lets move on to 2011 where he played in 159 games and 510 at bats with 7 HR and 36 RBI and only 60 walks to 93 K's. injured in 2012 but back in 2013 played in 145 games with 539 at bats and 8 HR with 52 RBI and only 52 walks to 127 K's which is a terrible ratio for a leadoff type hitter. Take for instance Nelson Cruz who just signed and look at his numbers which are those of a traditional corner OF and you will see what I am talking about. I don't have an issue with the signing other than he was over paid by about 5 to 6 million dollars to much a year. WAR stats mean nothing to me as my stats are honest and traditional stats that were used way back when and not the fancy made up stats. We agree to disagree

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    2. If Gardner is overpaid then Jacoby Ellsbury, a very comparable player, is extremely overpaid... by a lot. Like $8 - $9 million more AAV

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    3. Ken, I agree with old school stats and the eye test as well. I think that sabermetrics are important in that they give us a lot more ways to evaluate players. They don't tell everything though. What I was trying to illustrate is that Gardner's salary is the going rate for a player with his skills. While Nelson Cruz may hit more home runs he is a horrible defender that has PED ties. For a 2013 lineup that featured Gardner, Cano, and pretty much nobody else, I think Gardner more than held his own. You have players all over baseball with heavily inflated salaries. I don't think this is a contract that will haunt the Yankees. There are far worse even on the Yankees roster, let alone other teams.

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  5. First of all, I love how you both assume the Yankees are going to have a Paul O'Neill-type hitter in the next year or so. You must be banking on them to somehow acquire this guy through trade, because there's not a young/batting-title contender that will be a FA anytime soon, and that's a lot to put on any of our prospects.

    Secondly, going by the contract given to Michael Bourn last season by the Indians, Gardner's deal makes plenty of sense. Bourn got a 4 yr deal worth $48 million, with a vesting option for a 5th. Gardner got a 4 yr deal worth a million more per season, but with a club option instead. And going by their WARs, both players are similar.

    And it doesn't matter where the home runs or power comes from in the lineup. The only thing that matters is that the TEAM has a well-rounded lineup. McCann, Beltran, Soriano, and possibly Teixeira will provide the power. By the way, I can see Ellsbury hitting around 20 HR when healthy, and especially for a lefty in Yankee Stadium

    I will also bet that Gardner steals more that we've seen in the past couple of years. He may not reach 40+ again, but he doesn't need to to earn that amount of money. And, if you don't think he'd get that, and then some, on the open market then you haven't been paying attention.

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  6. Ken Hans...
    Ken H, you are a good Yankee baseball fan, and your opinions are out for everyone to take a shot at. That's what I like about your comments, you don't just say something is wrong, you give a very good reason why!

    Power hitter position in LF...true! Can't bunt...wrong!
    Who will man CF if Ells goes down? Brett, the same with all the OF spots. One of the hardest things a hitter has to do at the plate is...bunt for a hit, when the pitcher says "no way"...except for a very few exceptions most players have trouble laying down a bunt when everyone knows that is what you are trying to do.
    As a starter; BA .273, OPB .344, SLG .416, OPS .759, Sac. bunts 27! Swinging at 1st pitch is .379 avg.!
    The media and so called experts have said he was only good enough to be a 4th OFer or replacement player. Ok, they can make a miss judgement as can all of us. Who on this team can play the game better...who is not a starter now? Why do so many teams want him if he is so overrated?
    I like the way he plays and what he can do to disrupt the pitcher and take so many pitches! But he has to learn to swing at the first pitch more often..he hits about .370 + when he swings at the 1st offering. Besides all that he plays the game exactly as I did when I was younger except he plays the OF and I was a much better hitter with NO power at all. Of course one can't compare playing sandlot baseball to the Big Show.
    The name of the game is still to win, and until he was hurt last year, we were in contention...after that we fell off the table. We need a guy like him in the line-up, he does the little things that help set up the big play for someone else!
    I think it was a good signing but, as I'm a bit of a Brett fan...I have a predilection for him!

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  7. Ken Reed I love the back and forth with you and the rest of the guys. I know we can disagree without it getting out of control on here. Thank you for the compliment and I feel the same with you. My baseball playing days go back to not only playing in College but playing a bit afterwards so I look at things a bit differently then most people do. As I mentioned above to another poster I don't get caught up in all these fancy stats that the saber metrics people like to makeup. I am a numbers guy that goes by BA and OBP and RBI and walks and K's. A corner OF player is that off a power hitter and the three years he played full-time he has a total of 20 HR's which by my math standards is an average of 6.6666 a year. Lets agree here its not a power hitters numbers is it? Second I like to look at walk to K ratio and that isn't that good as he is a punch and judy hitter that shouldn't be striking out as mush as he does. 101K's in 2010 and 93 in 2011 and 127 in 2013. Average wise that is 107K's a year from a slap hitter so to speak. He is striking out 1/5 his at bats or 1 in every 5 times for a non power hitter. He walked 79 times in 2010 and 60 in 2011 and 52 in 2013. He is averaging 64 walks a year. To me that is not acceptable. He is a 4th OF to me and I know he is a plus defender but he is a weak hitter and I totally disagree with you concerning your comment on bunting.

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    1. Sabermetrics isn't some voodoo magic, it's pure unbiased fact. If that's not good enough to evaluate a player idk what is!

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    2. That is also something that I love about what we are building here. We can agree or disagree and nobody goes to insults or gets their feelings hurt. Shows maturity and shows that we're all on the same team at the end of the day, figuratively and literally. That's what makes sports so great, especially for fans, you can give each other hell or debate and at the end of the day still drink a beer together and laugh.

      FYI, not to nitpick, OBP is one of the earliest and most used saber stats that you claim to not use... lol.

      The problem with Gardner is, and maybe it was his leadoff hitter mentality of taking pitches, working a count, giving the guys behind him plenty to look at, etc but he gets into way too many 0-2 or two strike counts. With Gardner presumably hitting at the bottom half of the order he won't have that luxury or mindset anymore, or shouldnt. Might even help him on the basepaths too without having to worry about taking the bat out of Cano's hand for example with a caught stealing.

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    3. While I am a saber head as well Thomas some believe, and I can kind of relate, that not everything is black and white like saber stats portray. Some sabr stats are useless in my opinion or not tailored well for certain positions.

      I believe it's UZR that is terrible for first basemen but it might be the other defensive metric I am having a brain fart with right now. BABIP is also another one I have never understood. Well I understand it, just don't see why people use it.

      If Ken or anyone doesn't want to use sabermetrics that's completely understandable. We're here to teach, not judge (and I know you weren't or weren't even coming across that way I am just saying).

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    4. Ken Hans...
      That's fine, if we all agreed it would be boring anyhow.
      Ok, this is me looking at Brett from 76 year old eyes and I played sandlot ball until I was 60+ and college also.
      Brett makes those around him better just by doing the things he does, he is a very good clutch hitter and hits well with men on base. He gets on enough to score about 80+ runs a year and has a BAbip of .325.
      As a closer (in my days) I want him cutting off the shot in the gap. I know if the ball stays in the park, he has a better chance of getting it for an out than most fielders.
      I use Metrics to help me find a weakness and my eyes to tell me if it can be fixed or just a tiny tweak will take care of it.
      So, I guess we use our eyes more than most do, those that use the metric system, sometimes forget what their eyes could tell them.
      Cisco is a good example; poor hitter (about .245+/-) but, he is a very good hitter with men on base...go figure!
      We just have a difference of opinion, even though mine is right...LOL!

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  8. HANS ON :
    Throw those sabre-metrics out the window ! Mr. Hans has valid points.
    I can't handle the new tech things either, but that does not make me challenged.
    They muddy the waters, over somethings you've known since a youth. (plain as day )

    ROCKET, your an old world guy...George Custer....what say you ?

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    1. There's nothing wrong with the eye test, to each their own. My personal opinion, and the opinion of a lot of others in MLB right now, is leaning towards sabers though right now.

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    2. Daniel you are dead on with your earlier comment. On Base is huge and I apologize for leaving that off my prior post. I just look at things in black and white when it comes to baseball and I just think he is a decent player not worthy of 12.5 million a year. Any hitter that doesn't have power or put the ball on the ground and K's way too much and walks even less is not worthy of that contract and Jacoby wasn't worthy of his contract nor was Tanaka. Bottom line is we overpaid for those three guys because in the Tanaka and Ellsbury's case we had to. With Gardner we didn't have to and I am sure when Gardner was presented with this contract he didn't even think about where he needed to sign on the line.

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    3. You don't seem to understand that that is the going rate for players these days. You can say players are getting too much money, but the fact is... they are. So either the Yankees pay it and get those guys, or they don't pay it and have to do the small-market thing.

      Disregarding whether or not Gardner wanted to stay in NY, he would have surely gotten $12.5 million or more from another team in free agency. Just look at what Michael Bourn got from the Indians (4 yrs/$48 million w/ a vesting option for a 5th year). So to say he would sign w/o a second thought is wrong.

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    4. Yes Patrick...
      I use them as a guide only, to "lead the way" so to speak, then my eyes tell me what to look at from many years of playing and watching baseball.
      Don't forget, we, the "Kitchen Trash kids" were on the field talking with most of the players before the workouts would begin. They took the time to answer most of our questions and show us things like footwork around 2nd base. And how to throw this pitch or that one.
      Baseball hasn't changed in all these years...the basics are still the same...
      Have the ball pitch the ball...see the ball, hit the ball...catch the ball, throw the ball.

      Oops! sorry about that, it is my old age. letting me get carried away!

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  9. Ken Hans / Hans on....I kinda like.......Hans on.
    Thank you for your above comment. You changed logo's...can not tell, who is in that photo ?

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Ken Hans..
      Question, I hope you are in a good mood to answer it; Did you perchance, play in a farm system?
      If so about what years. I ask because of the picture and we may have crossed paths at some time.
      I was in the Army for one heck of a long time, and played baseball when we would come stateside.
      We would play some of the farm teams from where ever we were stationed stateside. And don't ask me which teams we played because I hardly remember Georgia! One thing I do remember, it was a good thing I went in the Army because I never would have had a chance in hell with those guys going anywhere in organized baseball. I would have been in "A" ball for 90 years. LOL!

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    3. Looks a lot like a blurry Philip Hughes (yes back when he was Philip and before he started growing that hair out and trying mustaches)

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    4. KR: That was me at a Yankee Fantasy Camp a few years back where I actually won the Whitey Ford Pitching Award they give to the best pitcher in camp even though I am an OF by trade. I have a very good arm so it was fun pitching there. I had a couple of looks after college but obviously nothing that progressed into anything so I get to enjoy my time with you guys in debating good old Yankee Baseball. My next hope of getting my family name into the pro game stands with my son a junior catcher/OF in college. Daniel please don't compare me to Phil Hughes please as my ball isn't as flat and straight as his is. LOL

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    5. Ok, that had to be a lot of fun, and had a gun for an arm!#@$ Damn, now I know where that fast ball I never had went...you used it in a baseball camp! *&%#@$^&&*% And besides all that...your feet don't match! So there!
      That last part sounds like some of the stuff my Great-Grandson says! LOL
      Have a good day!

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  10. Just a little story about a fractured ankle...exactly like Jeter had...!
    It was a complete fracture, in the hospital, they put the bad one together as though I was slew footed like most people, I was pigeon toed! So, now my feet really don't match!
    I still have the thing loaded with metal but, that's ok, now my ankle matches many other metal parts I have.

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  11. Next time I'll keep the Philthy comparisons to myself lol. He was an ace in waiting and a top prospect at one point though before the Joba rules.

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)