THE LOST DECADE
For any other team, 10 years without a title wouldn’t be a big deal, but for Yanks and Gardner, it’s been torture
TAMPA — It’s been a disappointing decade for Brett Gardner. The Yankee outfielder knows it has been frustrating for the team’s fans, too. It’s been 10 years since the Yankees have won a World Series, a long time by Bomber standards.
That doesn’t sit well with the veteran.
“It’s been a disappointing 10 years,” Gardner said. “I know for our fans it’s been disappointing, too. But, as one of the guys who has been in this room the whole time, it’s been just as disappointing if not more so for me.
“I’ve lost more sleep over it than just about anybody. We’re trying to get back there,” Gardner said. “Anything short of that is not acceptable.”
You may have questioned why the Yankees rushed to resign Gardner last fall, a guy who hit .209 with three homers and 12 RBI in 54 games down the stretch last season when they needed him most.
The fact that the 35-year old laments the prime years of his career because the team failed to win a World Series tells you why the Yankees wanted him back in this clubhouse. Gardner is the veteran leader that the Yankees feel this young club needs to carry it to the finish line. In 2009, when the Yankees last won a World Series, Gardner was one of those young kids soaking up the experience of the Core Four — Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera.
So, they worked quickly to get him back under a more team-friendly deal after they bought out his option last year to keep his competitive mentality, institutional knowledge passed down from past players and the insurance for a young outfield prospect in their clubhouse.
And Gardner, who signed for one year and $7.5 million, didn’t want to test an iffy free-agent market and therefore did not negotiate very hard.
“To be honest, I don’t want to go anywhere else. If they didn’t want me back, I was going to continue playing and go somewhere else obviously … But I kind of knew it was going to be CC’s (Sabathia’s) last year and remembering what happened 10 years ago,” Gardner said. “We’re trying to get back to that place. So I thought the last two years we really made some great strides from where we were before that.
“And (we were) really, really close to getting to the World Series the last two years,” Gardner continued. “I think we’re better this year than we were.”
Gardner doesn’t want to compare this developing 2019 team to the one that beat the Phillies in the World Series, but he sees the potential here to end the drought.
“It’s a way different team. I do feel like we have a special group of guys,” Gardner said. “The last two years, we had really good seasons, I feel like we’ve got a better team than we did then. I love the group of guys we have in place.”
But that competitive nature isn’t the only reason the Yankees brought him back. Gardner comes in to a position battle with up-and-coming prospect
Clint Frazier, who missed most of last season with concussion symptoms. He is also a solid veteran outfielder Yankees can rely on if Frazier needs more time in the minors.
And Gardner has always battled for his spot, so he isn’t ready to hand the job over quite yet.
“I remember, every year, doesn’t matter if it’s this year or last year or six years ago, or even when I was in the middle of my deal, I was competing for my job,” Gardner said. “I have to go out there and get my work in, so it doesn’t matter contract status or who you going up against. You just have to go out there and be the best player you can be and not worry about anything else.”
But Gardner does think about other things. He keeps tabs on a young clubhouse and makes sure it keeps in line with the teams he played on in the past.
He also remembers those lessons he learned back in the early days of his career. He now sees it as his job to pass them on — even to Frazier, who is likely to take his job.
“I think as a younger player you obviously learn a lot from the veteran guys,” Gardner said. “As you get a little older, kind of you try and give that back. So, umm, I will do nothing but try and push him and help him be the best player he can be.”
Aaron Boone loves that about Gardner. The Yankee manager sees the veteran teaching Frazier the essence of being a major leaguer in that competition.
“Gardy is such a good competitor. He’s been such a good Yankee. For Gardy, like with a lot of our guys, but I think he epitomizes it, he wants to win,” Boone said. “So, you know, with that and usually with major-league clubs and certainly, hopefully really good major-league teams a lot of times competition exists. I think that’s healthy and I think that’s also Gardy saying the right thing. Gardy expects to go out there and be massively productive and that’s our expectation as well.”
Gardner desperately wants to contribute to another Yankee World Series win. He wanted to be a part of the final year of Sabathia’s career.
He doesn’t however, believe it will be his last year playing in the big leagues. “I’d love to continue playing for a couple more years,” Gardner said. “I got to keep my body healthy and my mind healthy. My wife and kids are great, they want me to keep playing as long as I can. There are obviously things I miss about not being home, but they’re not really drawing to come back home as soon as possible … I’m going to continue playing past this year and take things one day at a time and see where it goes.”