It’s official: Justin Wilson and Brett Gardner are once again Yankees.
The team officially announced Tuesday that both players have signed one-year deals, with different options for each. No terms were released, but Gardner’s contract has a 2022 player option that becomes a club option if he declines, while Wilson’s contains the same – with a caveat that if Wilson takes his player option, the team then gets a club option for 2023.
RADIO.COM MLB insider Jon Heyman had the following details on Wilson's deal:
The reciprocal 40-man roster moves saw the Yankees place RHP Luis Severino on the 60-day injured list, and designate OF Greg Allen for assignment.
Here is the Yankees’ official release on Gardner:
Gardner, 37, hit .223 (29-for-130) with 20R, 5 doubles, 1 triple, 5HR, 15RBI and 26BB in 49 games with the Yankees in 2020. With his 2020 season debut, he became the 18th Yankee to play in at least 1,500 games for the franchise. He also became the 17th player in Yankees history to appear in a game for the club in three different decades (credit: Elias). In six postseason games, he hit .368 (7-for-19) with 6R, 1 double, 1HR, 3RBI and 4BB.
In 1,548 career games over 13 Major League seasons (2008-20), Gardner owns a .259 (1,384-for-5,350) batting average with 896R, 235 doubles, 69 triples, 129HR, 539RBI, 639BB and a .343 on-base percentage. Among all outfielders in franchise history, his 37.5 WAR ranks ninth (FanGraphs).
An AL All-Star in 2015 and Gold Glove Award winner in 2016, Gardner joins Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, Thurman Munson and Jorge Posada, as one of only five players drafted and signed by the Yankees to collect at least 1,000 hits with the club, and one of only seven to hit 100 home runs in pinstripes. Gardner’s 270 career stolen bases rank third on the Yankees’ all-time list, trailing only Derek Jeter (358) and Rickey Henderson (326).
A native of Holly Hill, S.C., and an alum of the College of Charleston, Gardner is the longest-tenured current Yankees player, having been drafted by the club in the third round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft prior to making his Major League debut in 2008. He is one of only seven players to appear for the same team in each of the last 13 seasons (2008-20), joining Ryan Braun (Milwaukee), Miguel Cabrera (Detroit), Alex Gordon (Kansas City), Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles-NL), Yadier Molina (St. Louis) and Joey Votto (Cincinnati). He would be the 17th Yankee to play for the club in at least 14 seasons and the 15th to do so in 14 consecutive seasons.
In both 2016 and 2017, Gardner was the Yankees’ nominee for Major League Baseball’s Roberto Clemente Award.
And the release for Wilson:
Wilson, 33, spent the 2020 season with the Mets, going 2-1 with a 3.66 ERA (19.2IP, 8ER) and 23K in 23 relief appearances. Overall, he held opponents scoreless in 18-of-23 outings, allowing more than 1ER in just two appearances.
Over 480 relief outings in nine Major League seasons with the Pirates (2012-14), Yankees (2015), Tigers (2016-17), Cubs (2017-18) and Mets (2019-20), he is 32-22 with 18 saves, a 3.27 ERA (429.1IP, 156ER) and 474K. Since 2014, Wilson ranks second among all left-handed pitchers with 414 appearances. Over the last four seasons (2017-20), he has posted an 11.35 K/9.0IP ratio (216K, 171.1IP), the eighth-highest mark among left-handed relievers over the stretch.
The Anaheim, Calif., native appeared in the postseason in five of six seasons from 2013-18, combining to post a 1.69 ERA (5.1IP, 1ER) with 4K in six playoff relief outings.
After being acquired from Pittsburgh in exchange for C Francisco Cervelli in November 2014, Wilson was 5-0 with a 3.10 ERA (61.0IP, 21ER) and 66K in a career-high 74 relief appearances for the Yankees in 2015. He was traded to Detroit in exchange for RHPs Luis Cessa and Chad Green in December 2015.
Wilson was originally selected by Pittsburgh in the fifth round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of Fresno State.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
