Yankees finalize deals for Brett Gardner, Justin Wilson
TAMPA, Fla. — Brett Gardner and the New York Yankees have finalized a $5.15 million, one-year contract for the outfielder to return for a 14th season.
New York also finalized its $5.15 million, one-year deal with left-hander Justin Wilson on Tuesday.
To clear roster spots, right-hander Luis Severino was put on the 60-day injured list as he recovers from Tommy John surgery last Feb. 27, and outfielder Greg Allen was designated for assignment.
Gardner gets a $1 million signing bonus and a $1.85 million salary this year. His agreement includes a $2.3 million player option for 2022. If Gardner declines the option, the Yankees would have a $7.15 million option for 2022 with a $1.15 million buyout.
The 37-year outfielder is the last player remaining from the Yankees’ last World Series title in 2009.
He had a one-year contract for 2020 with a $2 million signing bonus and a $10 million salary that became $2,962,963 in prorated pay. Gardner became a free agent after the Yankees declined a $10 million option, triggering a $2.5 million buyout.
Gardner hit .223 with five homers and 15 RBIs in 130 at-bats last year, rebounding after a slump that sunk his average at .169 at the start of September. He batted .369 (7 for 19) in the playoffs.
Manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that for now Clint Frazier was projected over Gardner in an outfield that has Aaron Hicks in center and Aaron Judge in right. “I expect Clint to be our left fielder and to be in that starting lineup,” Boone said. “A guy like Gardy is a guy who would play a lot, certainly, as a lot of our guys that will quote unquote be bench players or whatever, but Clint is going to be a regular player for us going into the season.”
Over the full 2019 season, Gardner reached careerbest totals of 28 homers and 74 RBIs to go along with a .251 average. He is a fan favorite for his fiery demeanor and longevity.
Gardner and the switchhitting Hicks often were the only left-handed bats in the Yankees’ starting lineup last year.
“One of the things I look at is his toughness, the ability to post, the ability to play through things, the premium he puts on being ready to go each and every day,” Boone said. “There is a blue collar-ness to the way he goes about his business I think that is infectious. He’s got a little bit of a chip on his shoulder that he plays with.
“And I think he’s got a young man’s body. He’s in great shape. He has aged very well. And I think you’ve seen him really I think adapt and apply information to continue to make himself in a lot of ways a better player but certainly still a very relevant player,” he said.
Wilson’s deal includes a $2.85 million salary this year and a $2.3 million player option for 2022 that, if exercised, would trigger a conditional 2023 club option for that year’s minimum plus $500,000. He would have the chance to earn $500,000 in performance bonuses in 2023 based on games: $100,000 for 40 and each additional five through 60.
If Wilson’s 2022 player option is declined, the Yankees could exercise a 2022 club option for $7.15 million with a $1.15 million buyout.
Wilson joins a bullpen headed by closer Aroldis Chapman and Zack Britton, both left-handers. Hardthrowing right-hander Chad Green is joined by side-arming right-hander Darren O’Day, who was signed after the Yankees dealt Adam Ottovino to Boston in a cost-cutting move.
The 33-year-old Wilson was 5-0 with a 3.10 ERA in 74 appearances for the Yankees in 2015, then moved on to Detroit and the Chicago Cubs before spending 2019 and 2020 with the Mets. He was 2-1 with a 3.66 ERA in 19 2⁄3 innings over 23 appearances last season. He struck out 23 and walked nine.
Wilson averaged 95 mph with his fastball, throwing it slightly more often than on half his pitches. He also throws cutters, mixing in an occasional slider and curveball.
Wilson is a nine-year major-league veteran who spent his first three seasons with Pittsburgh.
New Orleans forward Zion Williamson now can be called an NBA All-Star, and only three others in the game’s 70-year history have gotten there at a younger age.
Williamson is one of four first-time All-Stars, all revealed Tuesday night when the league announced the reserves for the March 7 game in Atlanta. Joining him as fellow All-Star rookies: Boston’s Jaylen Brown, New York’s Julius Randle and Chicago’s Zach LaVine.
Phoenix’s Chris Paul is an All-Star for the 11th time, and Brooklyn’s James Harden is one for the ninth consecutive year. The rest of the reserves include Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons, Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic from the Eastern Conference, along with the Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Paul George, Utah teammates Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, and Portland’s Damian Lillard from the Western Conference.
“It’s definitely an honor,” Mitchell said.
Team captains LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets will draft their teams next week, with the rosters to be unveiled March 4. Starters, revealed last week, were chosen through a combination of voting by fans, NBA players and a media panel.
Reserves were chosen through voting by the league’s head coaches.
“You do the best that you can,” Orlando coach Steve Clifford said. “It’s not easy. … Every year, it is hard, and when you look at this year in the East there were a number of guys who are worthy of making it. So, it’s difficult every year.”
Atlanta’s Trae Young, an All-Star last season, is not one this year despite averaging 26.9 points entering Tuesday, the most among anyone not selected. Miami forwards Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler didn’t make the cut, nor did Phoenix’s Devin Booker.
“Devin Booker is the most disrespected player in our league !!!! Simple as that,” James tweeted.
Utah’s Mike Conley — someone the NBA-leading Jazz desperately wanted to see get there for what would have been the first time — also missed out on the nod.
“For a guy like him who’s done so many things in his career, on and off the floor, he deserves this,” Mitchell said of Conley.
Not enough coaches agreed. There’s still a chance for Conley, because Davis is likely to miss the game because of injury. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will choose any injury replacements; a player who bows out will be replaced by someone else from his respective conference.
Williamson is 20, and only Kobe Bryant, James and Magic Johnson were younger in their All-Star debuts. There have been six other 20-year-olds chosen for past All-Star Games, but all were closer to their 21st birthday at the time than Williamson is now.
Randle has been the best player for the Knicks, who are trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 2013. Brown is averaging a career-best 25.5 points for Boston. And LaVine has been to All-Star weekend plenty of times before, winning two dunk contests and an MVP award at the Rising Stars game. But this will be his first time in the
All-Star Game itself.
STARTERS POOL
James and Durant will choose from eight other starters for their teams first when the draft takes place: Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Washington’s Bradley Beal, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Dallas’ Luka Doncic, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving, Denver’s Nikola Jokic and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard.
BY TEAM
Brooklyn is the only team with three All-Stars. There are five teams — Boston, the Clippers, the Lakers, Philadelphia and Utah — with two All-Stars, and 11 clubs with one AllStar selection.
The 13 without an AllStar, for now: Atlanta, Charlotte, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Indiana, Memphis, Miami, Minnesota, Oklahoma City, Sacramento, San Antonio and Toronto.
Indiana and Toronto, the East’s No. 4 and No. 5 seeds entering Tuesday, got no All-Star selections.
COACHES
Utah’s Quin Snyder will coach Team LeBron, and Philadelphia’s Doc Rivers will coach Team Durant.