Brett Gardner is 36-years-old, but it doesn't look like his time in the Bronx is coming to an end yet.
Gardner is the longest-tenured Yankee. He was initially called up to make his debut in the big leagues all the way back in 2008. Since then, he has been an important member of the squad in a variety of different positions and situations.
According to WFAN baseball insider Jon Heyman, the Yankees are already working with Gardner to extend his contract.
Yankees and Brett Gardner are already talking about trying to stay together contractually. Why not? It's been a fantastic marriage for both. Longest tenured Yankee had career highs in HR (28) and OPS (.829) in 2019.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 7, 2019And why wouldn't the Yankees want to bring Gardner back? 2019 was a bounce-back season for the utility outfielder. Despite his age, he managed a career-high 28 home runs while also hitting .251 with 74 RBIs.
Heading into the season, there were questions about just how much Gardner would play for Aaron Boone's team. Those questions were quickly put on the backburner, as the Yankees suffered an absurd number of injuries throughout the year. Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks and Aaron Judge missed big chunks of the campaign, so it turned out that there was plenty of playing time available for Gardner.
Heyman spoke about his report with Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts on their Thursday show on WFAN. He was asked if he thinks the deal will ultimately get done.
"I would think so, just because it's Brett Gardner and he's been loyal forever," said Heyman. "He had a great year. They want to bring him back. Last I heard, they weren't close, they didn't have anything really that was ready to go. But they did it quickly last year ... I think they'll figure it out."
Even if the team doesn't suffer as many injuries this year, Gardner is still a quality depth player to have. He knows what it takes to win in New York, and he is a leader in the locker room.
It seems likely that team and player will be able to knock-out some sort of extension to keep Gardner with the Yankees for another year.
