The New York Yankees have officially signed veteran outfielder Brett Gardner to a one-year deal ahead of the 2020 campaign.
Rejoice, New York Yankees fans. Your beloved, longtime outfielder is returning to the team for at least one more year.
On Saturday, the Yanks announced the signing of Brett Gardner via their official Twitter account. The longtime veteran will play in 2020 on a one-year deal, which includes a club option for the following season.
The New York Yankees announced today that they have re-signed OF Brett Gardner to a one-year contract for the 2020 season with a club option for 2021.
To make room on the 40-man roster, LHP Stephen Tarpley has been designated for assignment.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) January 11, 2020
The contract is worth $12.5 million. Gardner’s base salary is set at $8 million for 2020, with $2 million coming his way via a signing bonus. He played on a one-year, $7.5 million deal during the 2019 campaign.
This upcoming season will be the 36-year-old’s 13th with the ballclub. Up to this point, he’s hit 124 home runs in his career and has a lifetime slash line of .260/.342/.401. His most productive year at the plate was arguably this past season, where he smacked 28 home runs and drove in 74 runners through 141 games.
Gardner is a one-time All-Star, having portrayed his talents in the Midsummer Classic in 2015. He’s additionally a one-time Gold Glove Award winner (2016).
Gardner played more from the centerfield spot last season than he had in recent years. He tallied 98 games from that position as opposed to 45 games from left field. He committed just one total fielding error.
New York designated left-hander Stephen Tarpley for assignment in order to clear room on the 40-man roster for Gardner. The 26-year-old appeared in 31 games (one start) for the Bombers from 2018-19, combining for a 5.88 ERA along with a record of 1-0.
