The New York Yankees once again spent money on a player Sunday, but instead of dishing it out on a free agent, they retained one of their own. Outfielder Brett Gardner agreed to a four-year, $52 million contract extension with the team that begins in 2015 and will take him through the 2018 season. The Yankees also have a $12.5 million club option on the contract for 2019.
The 30-year old Gardner hit .273/.344/.416 in 2013, but his biggest strengths come on the basepaths and in the field. Last season, Gardner accumulated +6 DRS for the Yankees in center field, his first full-time season at the position in his major league career. He also stole 24 bases a year ago, leading the Yankees in that category.
Gardner missed nearly all of the 2012 season after elbow surgery, but was one of the more underrated players in baseball during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, totaling +58 DRS and 96 stolen bases over the two seasons, leading baseball in DRS and ranking second in steals over those two seasons.
A $13 million average annual value for Gardner seems reasonable, and is comparable to the $12 million average value that a then-30 year old Michael Bourn got from the Indians following the 2012 season, without the loss of a draft pick that Cleveland suffered when signing Bourn.
However, Gardner’s speed and defensive skills are ones that erode quickly once a player begins to age. While the Yankees have a valuable player now, will he still be a valuable player in two years when prospects Mason Williams and Slade Heathcott should be knocking at the door of the major leagues? Jacoby Ellsbury is signed for the next seven years and Carlos Beltran is signed for the next three, so the Yankees could be faced with a number of tough decisions in the future with so much money tied up in outfielder on the wrong side of 30
