Brett Gardner’s potential final game as a Yankee ended unceremoniously, to say the least. The longest tenured Yankee went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts as the Yanks were outmatched by the rival Red Sox in Tuesday’s Wild Card Game.
But Gardner, at least immediately after his 2021 season came to a close, didn’t want Tuesday night at Fenway to be his last game.
“I hope not. I hope not,” Gardner said. “You know, I hope that I'm back next season, but obviously that's really not really on my radar right now. Just kind of trying to process all that went on in this season that we just finished. And, you know, obviously not just myself and how I'm feeling, but that group of guys in that room and the disappointment that we are all feeling right now.
“You know, I understand you have to ask me about next year, and right now if I had to answer, I hope that I'm back in that room and I hope that I'm in Tampa come February. But there's obviously a long time between now and then and a lot of things that need to get figured out. We'll see what happens.”
The 2021 season saw a lot more of Gardner than many might have expected, but a season-ending injury to Aaron Hicks meant more playing time for the 38-year-old, playing in a total of 140 games with 461 plate appearances. He turned it on in September but otherwise struggled through a tough season and finished with a .689 OPS, his lowest since coming on as a rookie in 2008. In his last full season, 2019, Gardner exploded for 28 home runs, easily a career-high, but that power was gone in 2021, as the veteran outfielder went deep just 10 times in almost the same amount of games.
Now, with the season over, Gardner and the Yankees will have a decision to make. Gardner has a player option for the 2022 season, while the Yankees could choose to buy him out and start anew. For Gardner, those discussions will begin with those closest to him.
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“Well, most importantly, my wife, my kids, my family,” Gardner said. “You know, they have obviously sacrificed. This game has been great to me and great to my family, but the longer you play and the older your kids get, the hardest it gets and the more things I miss out on and not being able to see them back home doing their thing. And obviously makes it harder to be together all the time and things like that.
“So you know, I'll obviously have some real serious conversations with her and my kids and, you know my dad, my parents. I'm fortunate to have a great family and always have had all of their support. We'll see. We'll see the next few weeks, the next few months, where that takes us.”
Gardner took a big step back offensively over the last two seasons, but physically still feels capable of contributing to the Yankees in a potential 15th season with New York. But knowing there is a chance that he has played his last game, Gardner made sure to leave his uniform on as long as possible.
“I think every year when the season ends, I have taken my cleats off already, so I'm halfway there,” Gardner said. “But, yeah, I mean, just I'm not going to wear a helmet sleeping tonight. I'll take it off when I walk out of here. Just haven't gotten around to it yet. Obviously you don't know how many chances you'll get to put the uniform on again and go out there and do what we do. Just feels good to still have it on.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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