Update: Yankees sign Brett Gardner to one-year deal, avoid arbitration

December 8, 2012 by Mike Axisa 37 Comments

Saturday: The deal is worth $2.85MM with another $150k in plate appearance-based bonuses according to the AP. Gardner will receive $25k each for 375, 400, 425, 450, 475, and 500 plate appearances next year.

Friday: The Yankees have agreed to a one-year contract with Brett Gardner to avoid arbitration, the team announced. No word on the terms, but MLBTR projected a $2.8M salary.

Gardner, 29, earned $2.8M this season and isn’t expected to get a raise after appearing in only 16 games due to a left elbow injury. He’ll be arbitration-eligible again in 2014 before qualifying for free agency after the season. This was a lost year for Gardner, though I suppose the fringe benefit for the club is that it will help keep his salary down these next two years.

0-fur

Brett GRITner
http://riveraveblues I remember the CBS years!

Wow! 2.8million for a guy who missed a year. No wonder A-Rod’s worth so much. Pineda is a steal!!!
- Preston
  
  Players rarely get pay decreases in arbitration, he made 2.8 million last year. They basically gave him the 100k bump to avoid the process. Otherwise you have to go in front of an arbiter an argue that Brett Gardner is terrible in front of him and his agent. Not worth the savings.
  - Burn Girardi’s Binder
    
    +1
42isNotMortal

Still, 2.8 mil is great in my book for one of the better ranged OF’ers around. I wonder how much his elbow cost him/ saved the Yanks in salary this year?
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
  
  Probably would have gotten $4.5-5M next year, just using Bourn as a comp.
I am not the droids you’re looking for…

Actually this is the plan to get under $189mm for 2014: all the guys still in arb years will have serious injuries this year, dramatically lowering their salaries for 2014. All those raises we’re factoring in? Fuggedaboudit.
Elton Cod

The Yankees front office are GENUISES! This winter we have already signed Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettite, Hiroki Kuroda, and Brett Gardner! That’s like 4/9 of a team. I don’t understand why people are complaining, we are so set for next year. World Series here we come. I am so happy that they are doing what they need to do to get under the luxury tax. I know that the Steinbrenners will pass the added profits onto fans by making ticket prices more affordable.
- dalelama
  
  Because we are worse off than last year when we folded like a cheap suit in the playoffs. We have lost Swisher, Martin, Soriano, and half a regular season of Aroid. So far we have picked up no one.
  - Burn Girardi’s Binder
    
    Pretty sure his comment was made in jest. The tip off was the whole ticket prices more affordable thing. Never happening.
  - JU
    
    How do u reference folding like a cheap suit in the playoffs, and then base ur argument on losing 3 guys that provided virtually no value in said playoffs?
  - Ted Nelson
    
    Because replacing Soriano with Mo is a huge downgrade, ARod played a full 2012, and the season is half over in March…
    
    Why do you waste your time and everyone else’s trolling? What sort of pleasure do you get from it?
JohnC

I guess this will be the recurring flurry of wisecracks for whoever the Yanks sign the rest of the winter
BJ

Boston Herald reports Gardner’s contract is worth $2.85 million.
Rich in NJ

In today’s market, if Gardner stays healthy, he has about the most cost-effective contract on the team.
- Robinson Tilapia
  
  Below the MLB average, as a matter of fact…
Brian S.

punch and judy hitter…throw a parade…
- dalelama
  
  But no one is prettier taking a third strike right down the middle of the plate than Griftner…
http://stoogazzo@comcast.net Tom Morea

Gardner is a nothing ballplayer over five years. Frightened or undecided to steal bases; lacks ability to bunt and has zero power.
- Genteme
  
  Are you sure?
  A guy who may can produce 3-4 WAR a year will get “much” more than 2.85M a year. Th main problem is if he can stay healthy the next year.
  - dalelama
    
    Isn’t his whole positive WAR driven by highly subjective defensive ratings?
    - YanksFanInBeantown
      
      It’s driven by his average to above average offense, his elite baserunning, and his elite defense. And it’s not subjective when the only disagreement over his defense among the various defensive metrics is: “Is he closer to 20 runs above average or 30 runs above average?”
      - http://bradley.morien@gmail.com Fachoinanyy
        
        Boom! Face!
- dan gen
  
  brian s. you are right ,,,,the others are blind…he is also,older than you think..
  - YanksFanInBeantown
    
    Yeah! You know how unreliable record keeping is in South Carolina!
- Ted Nelson
  
  2nd in MLB in SBs between 2010-11 with the fewest PAs among the top 10… I can’t imagine what he’d do if he weren’t scared…
You should have shot Arod

Gardy better turn into a player this year or we are shot in the OF next year.
- Travis L.
  
  Zoilo Almonte, Melky Mesa and Cody Johnson give you the hand.
  - Now Batting
    
    I can’t tell if this is serious or not.
- The Moral Majority is Neither
  
  Josh Hamilton says hello.
- Ted Nelson
  
  He was the 12th best OFFENSIVE CF in baseball in 2010-11. He is a ballplayer.
Mickey Scheister

Not completely off topic, but moving Gardner to CF would, in theory, lower his next year arb raise (WAR wouldn’t be as high in CF), reduce Grandys FA value (40 HR not as sexy from a corner OF spot) and improve team defense. Saving money in 2013 and making it more likely to sign Grandy as a FA.
- Preston
  
  Arbiters use old school stats, his value to them would go up if you put him in CF.
Brooklyn Nets

What I find hilarious is that Melky is the better baseball player. By far. And that’s the one we let walk.
- YanksFanInBeantown
  
  He wasn’t before he started taking Testosterone…
- 5 more strawmens
  
  I find it even more hilarious that the Yankees DID NOT let Melky walk, but instead traded him in the 2nd Vazquez deal.
  
  For which they still have a serviceable lefty in Logan, and the draft pick that became Dante Bichette, Jr.
  
  I find it still more hilarious that it was both the Braves that actually let Melky walk for nothing.
5 more strawmens

…oh, and the Royals that traded him for a sore-armed lefty in Sanchez. And the Giants who were blind-sided by his steroid use.