43 WAR and counting.

He's going to end up leading the Yankee outfielders in games played.

Again.

How does adding an option year lower the salary cap hit this year?

3 - I'd wondered the same. It seems that

Guaranteed years are defined by the CBA as “any championship season included in a Uniform Player’s Contract for which more than 50% of the Player’s Base Salary is guaranteed by the Contract in the event of termination.” So, what’s the loophole? 50%.
Because only 50% of a player’s base salary must be assured to qualify as a guaranteed year, player options can be structured in such a way to make a one-year contract appear much smaller in terms of its average annual value (AAV).

Bench: Gardy, Higgy (or Chirinos), Wade (or someone who can play multiple infield positions), and who? Tauchman (.356 OBP last 2 years, out of options?) or Du? Or who? Somebody gets pushed out. Can a team be viable over a full season with only a total of 5 players who can play infield?

Tauchman should probably be the odd man out even though he's the best of the bunch right now. He's basically just another Gardner (and arguably a better version right now)....but they don't need 2 lefty backup OF's. Gardner and Frazier can both handle center, Wade can play the OF as well as infield, and you can shift Stanton to the OF in an emergency...they're covered there without Tauchman...if he's out of options, trade him at this point (though again I would have rather just kept Gardner walk from a pure baseball standpoint.)

So I think it becomes a 3 way competition between what's left of Andujar's potential, Dietrich's bat (and flexibility) and Thairo Estrada's glove. You could take two of them and leave off Wade as well, though I assume one of he or Estrada make it as the backup SS since Urshela is probably the next best option after them.

4 - Thanks. So I guess the idea then that this Gardner contract is something like "2 years, paying 1 million in year one and 5 million in year two, with a 3 million buyout for year two"? So for the cap it's treated as "2 years, 3 mil AAV" when it'll ultimately be 4 million for the 1 year.

He's going to end up leading the Yankee outfielders in games played.

Again.

Yes, this is shocking necessary signing. You just can't count on Judge, Stanton, or Hicks being healthy, AT ALL. In 2019, Gardner played 140 games in the OF, those three combined for 163.

43 WAR and counting.

His development is one of the most impressive in my lifetime watching baseball. I recall the conversations among Yankee fans on this site when he was a prospect, and I doubt even the most optimistic among them pegged a career half this good.

what's left of Andujar's potential

Why has Andujar been so thoroughly written off? Yeah, he was bad in 2019-20, but it was only 115 PA combined. Was his injury a “never really recover” type?

There are Yankees fans on Twitter calling him "Gardy B" which is the worst thing in the world.

Tauchman should probably be the odd man out even though he's the best of the bunch right now

He had a very good 2019, nothing of note before or after, and by dWAR Gardner's still a plus defender.

Why has Andujar been so thoroughly written off?

he's a DH, really, who had a strong 130 OPS+ in 2018. turns 26 in 10 days, so there's time.

it is a little weird that the Yankees seem neither enamored of him - nor were they willing to trade him when his value seemed highest.

he's a DH, really, who had a strong 130 OPS+ in 2018. turns 26 in 10 days, so there's time.

it is a little weird that the Yankees seem neither enamored of him - nor were they willing to trade him when his value seemed highest.

Exactly. Seems like the kind of guy you’d definitely want to give another opportunity.

43 WAR and counting

bb-ref lists him with 80 million career earnings. That seems low for a 30-40 WAR player. (Edit: for someone this far into their career/past 6 years service time.)

it is a little weird that the Yankees seem neither enamored of him - nor were they willing to trade him when his value seemed highest.

His value was highest after his rookie year which was before Urshela became the good player he is. The random confluence of Andujar's strong rookie season (2018), Urshela's breakout (2019), and Andujar's injury-lost time (2019 and 2020) has probably made it difficult to trade him for anything of value. If anyone had known Urshela—twice traded for money—would be this good, trading Andujar after his rookie year makes sense, but I don't think anyone saw this Urshela emerging.

His value was highest after his rookie year which was before Urshela became the good player he is. The random confluence of Andujar's strong rookie season (2018), Urshela's breakout (2019), and Andujar's injury-lost time (2019 and 2020) has probably made it difficult to trade him for anything of value. If anyone had known Urshela—twice traded for money—would be this good, trading Andujar after his rookie year makes sense, but I don't think anyone saw this Urshela emerging.

Right, and Urshela is at least as good a hitter, and a much better defender, so Andujar's not replacing him. At the same time Luke Voit emerged as a masher at 1B blocking that option, and Stanton locks down DH.

a one-year contract worth $4 million with club and team options for 2022.

I guess I'm not up on new contractual lingo. What distinguishes a "club" option from a "team" option? Should one of those have said "player"?

43 WAR and counting

All of that success has gone to his head.

All of that success has gone to his head.

It stalled at the neck.

I used to think that Gardner was a poor man's Jacoby Ellsbury. At this point it's arguable that ETllsbury was a poor man's Gardner.

So many little quirks to love about Gardner's career. The "2nd lead off hitter" trope when he batted 9th. The defensive advantage of having "two center fielders" even though Bernie had trouble holding up his end. The late career power surge. Finding his way into the lineup after the decline. The low-cost 1 year extensions. A one-team player.

He's greater than the sum of his parts, and I hope he's fondly remembered in future old-timer's days.

So many little quirks to love about Gardner's career. The "2nd lead off hitter" trope when he batted 9th. The defensive advantage of having "two center fielders" even though Bernie had trouble holding up his end. The late career power surge. Finding his way into the lineup after the decline. The low-cost 1 year extensions. A one-team player.

Bernie was retired for 2 seasons by the time Gardner showed up. Damon had pushed Bernie out of Center in 2006 and in 2007, Melky Cabrera started to do the same to Damon. Gardner was basically the backup CF in 2008 and 2009...then the 2 defensive CF idea took hold with Granderson in Center and Gardner in Left (plus Swisher who had been forced in the CF role for the White Sox the season before). That lasted 2010-2011. 2012 was lost to injury and he finally got the chance to start in CF (because of Granderson's injuries/defensive decline) om 2013...just in time for the Jacoby Ellsbury era to start....and give way to Aaron Hicks in 2018.

Gardner has had the misfortune to play with guys who are pretty close to him defensively/a little more famous and worth not pissing off by moving them...balanced out by the fact that most of them have had trouble staying in the field...since his debut he's gotten less time in Center than he deserves, but a lot more than the Yankees have planned.

I used to think that Gardner was a poor man's Jacoby Ellsbury. At this point it's arguable that ETllsbury was a poor man's Gardner.

Only in the sense that the poor overpay for everything. Gardner 15.5 bWAR, Ellsbury 9.7 bWAR over the latter's NY years for half the price.