MLB Free Agency

The New York Yankees and Brett Gardner reached an agreement on a one-year, $4 million deal Friday, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand:

The two sides began discussions on a new contract in recent days to bring the team's longtime outfielder back to the Bronx in 2021. The 37-year-old has yet to wear another uniform during his MLB career. 

Gardner appeared in 49 games for the Yankees last season, slashing .223/.354/.392 with five home runs and 15 RBI. 

MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported Thursday the Yankees have a specific price range in mind for Gardner and would like to keep any deal around $3 million to avoid exceeding the $210 million competitive balance tax. 

According to Spotrac, New York's payroll sits at $192.2 million as spring training gets underway. 

Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media noted on Feb. 10 the two sides hadn't even begun negotiating yet with the Yankees still mulling over an initial offer:

"According to a baseball source who asked to remain anonymous, the Yankees haven't addressed Gardner's status since last Halloween. That's when the organization announced that it opted to pay Gardner a $2.5 million buyout instead of vesting a $10 million club option for 2021."

It's unclear how much playing time Gardner will receive New York, but given the Yankees' notorious injury problems over the last few years, the team can hardly afford to pass up on reliable depth. 

Clint Frazier is projected to start in left field with Aaron Hicks in center and Aaron Judge in right. Mike Tauchman, Greg Allen and Giancarlo Stanton are listed as backups on the depth chart. Gardner fits in nicely there, especially with Frazier yet to complete a full season in the majors. 

Free-agent center fielder Kevin Pillar and the New York Mets reached an agreement on a contract Monday, according to Andy Martino of SNY.

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reported it's a one-year deal. MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported Pillar is guaranteed $5 million for 2021 and that his total payout could climb to $10 million over two seasons.

Pillar made 54 appearances for the Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies in 2020, finishing with six home runs, 26 RBI and a .288/.336/.462 slash line.

Some fans will likely question why the Mets didn't lock in on Jackie Bradley Jr., the best center fielder still on the board. MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported Saturday the franchise continued to look at Bradley as an option.

Now, Bradley would seemingly no longer be in play.

The Mets already added Albert Almora Jr., but they were smart in not allowing that to preclude the addition of another outfielder. Almora's offensive value is limited (28 home runs and a .398 slugging percentage in 489 games), making him more of a bench option rather than an everyday contributor.

Pillar isn't an offensive dynamo, either, but his performance at the plate has improved over the past three years. From 2013 to 2017, he had a .693 OPS and an 86 OPS-plus, according to Baseball Reference. Those numbers have climbed to .727 and 93, respectively, since 2018.

The 32-year-old addresses a need stemming from the fact that Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto and Dominic Smith are all lefties. Pillar could platoon with Nimmo or occupy one of the corner spots depending on the pitching matchup.

Feinsand spoke to a National League executive who said the Mets "really want to make a splash and spend some money" after having missed out on Trevor Bauer. Perhaps signing Pillar will give acting general manager Zack Scott more flexibility to package one of his starting outfielders in a trade to strengthen another area of the roster.

The New York Mets are serious about their pursuit of reliever Trevor Rosenthal.

According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Mets "have stayed in touch" with the pitcher's camp and are "in" on the free agent.

The 30-year-old began 2020 with the Kansas City Royals on a minor league deal, and then he was sent to the San Diego Padres heading into the trade deadline. Through 23 games in 2020, he posted a 1.90 ERA with 38 strikeouts and two home runs allowed, looking like the star he was during his time with the St. Louis Cardinals.

A 2015 All-Star, Rosenthal was the go-to guy out of the bullpen for St. Louis from 2013 to 2017, amassing a 3.01 ERA through 309 games in that time span. His run ended when he had Tommy John surgery in 2017 that caused him to miss the 2018 campaign.

His return to MLB, which took place with the Washington Nationals and Detroit Tigers, was less than ideal. Through 15.1 innings, he posted a 13.50 ERA.

The Mets have spent plenty of time this offseason bolstering their roster, and the rotation topped by two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom has benefited from the addition of Carlos Carrasco from Cleveland and the re-signing of Marcus Stroman. Trevor May was signed to a two-year, $15.5 million deal in December, bolstering the bullpen.

Rosenthal would be another great get for the Mets, especially after they fell out of the Trevor Bauer sweepstakes when the Cy Young winner ended up signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Oakland Athletics have agreed to one-year contracts with free-agent relievers Yusmeiro Petit and Sergio Romo, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Petit's contract will be worth $2.55 million, plus incentives, agent Rafael Godoy told Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle. The 36-year-old Petit has spent the past three years with the Athletics.

"He's excited to return. It was his first choice all along,'' Godoy told the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "The team had been in contact all winter.''

Romo, who spent the past one-plus seasons with the Minnesota Twins, will make $2.25 million, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Petit made 26 appearances for the Athletics in 2020 and pitched well, finishing 2-1 with a 1.66 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 17 strikeouts in 21.2 innings. In his three seasons with the A's, he's posted a 2.73 ERA and 0.93 WHIP.

In his career, Petit has pitched for the Florida Marlins (2006), Arizona Diamondbacks (2007-2009), San Francisco Giants (2012-2015), Washington Nationals (2016), Los Angeles Angels (2017) and the Athletics. He's posted a career 3.93 ERA and 1.15 WHIP.

Petit began his career largely serving as a starting pitcher but later made the switch to full-time reliever, even ending up out of Major League Baseball in 2011 and pitching in the Mexican Baseball League. He's been nothing short of fantastic for the Athletics, however, making his return to Oakland a savvy move for the team.

Romo, 37, spent the 2020 season with the Minnesota Twins, finishing 1-2 with a 4.05 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in 20 innings. He spent the majority of his career with the San Francisco Giants (2008-2016), where he won three titles and was an All-Star in 2013, before stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2017), Tampa Bay Rays (2017-2018), Miami Marlins (2019) and the Twins (2019-2020).

For his career, he's posted a 2.95 ERA and 1.02 WHIP.

Oakland's bullpen was one of its strengths in 2020 for the 36-24 Athletics, though losing Liam Hendriks and Joakim Soria in free agency was a major blow. The return of Petit and to a lesser extent the addition of Romo should help mitigate those losses.

The defending champions reportedly will not be going to arbitration with starting pitcher Walker Buehler.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Dodgers avoided that process by signing the right-hander to a two-year, $8 million contract that features a $2 million signing bonus, $2.75 million in salary in 2021 and $3.25 million in salary in 2022.

Buehler has been with the Dodgers his entire career and burst onto the scene in 2018 with a 2.62 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 151 strikeouts in 137.1 innings.

He followed that up with his first All-Star selection in 2019 and finished the year with a 3.26 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 215 strikeouts in 182.1 innings but dealt with some injury concerns in the shortened 2020 campaign and made just eight starts with a 3.44 ERA.

Still, he was brilliant in the postseason for the eventual champions and posted a 1.80 ERA in five playoff starts, one of which came in a World Series win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

It would not be surprising at all if Buehler uses his October efforts as a launching point into a strong 2021 season, especially since he is in the middle of his prime at 26 years old. Clayton Kershaw is a legend and the staff ace, but Buehler is talented enough to be considered a co-ace when pitching at his best.

Throw in the return of David Price and depth with Dustin May, Julio Urias and Tony Gonsolin, and the Dodgers were primed to challenge for another title behind a strong pitching staff even before they brought in reigning National League Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer this offseason.

A trio of Kershaw, Buehler and Bauer atop the rotation is downright unfair for the rest of the NL West, and Buehler will be a part of that group for multiple seasons after avoiding arbitration with this latest deal.

Free-agent outfielder Brett Gardner has no idea where he's going to play the 2021 season, even with spring training set to begin this month.

According to Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media, the Yankees have not had any conversations regarding Gardner's contract since Halloween, when they bought him out for $2.5 million rather than using a $10 million club option on the 13-year Yankee.

General manager Brian Cashman spoke highly of the College of Charleston product in an appearance on YES Network last week, but he didn't give any information about the 37-year-old's future, per Miller:

"You know how we love Brett Gardner. He's been here for a long time. We've bet on him forever. He's always produced and honored those assessments that we've made, so it's been a great marriage. I'm not saying it's going to continue. I'm not going to say that it's over. But he's still on the board and we're always trying to figure out a way to make ourselves better."

The Yankees certainly had other priorities heading into free agency, but they've accomplished major goals. LeMahieu re-signed with the group on a six-year, $90 million deal, and two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber joined the team on a one-year, $11 million contract.

According to Miller, the team could be hoping to avoid the luxury-tax threshold of $210 million, and it'll need to refrain from spending $10 million to do so. That means that Gardner, who was signed to a $12.5 million deal in 2020, would need to be willing to help the team cut costs.

While his batting statistics make that seemingly deserving, with a .223 batting average, five home runs and 15 RBI through 49 games, he broke out in the postseason (.368 in six games) and continued to command the outfield.

If it doesn't work out, the Yankees may not be his only option, as "other clubs are interested," according to Miller.

Less than two weeks from the scheduled start date for spring training, Jackie Bradley Jr. reportedly is seeking a significant contract in free agency.

Per Mike Puma of the New York Post, Bradley is believed to be seeking a deal "perhaps beyond four years."

Bradley hit free agency coming off arguably his best offensive season in 2020. The 30-year-old hit .283/.364/.450 with seven homers and 22 RBI in 55 games for the Boston Red Sox. 

ESPN's Buster Olney reported last week that the Red Sox are "unlikely" to re-sign Bradley because they are pushing up against the luxury-tax threshold. 

There are still several veteran outfielders available on the market, including Marcell Ozuna and Brett Gardner. Bradley is the safest bet in that group because of his defensive value in center field. He won a Gold Glove award in 2018 and ranks fifth among all center fielders with 33 defensive runs saved since 2015. 

Bradley has spent his entire career in the Red Sox organization after being selected in the first round of the 2011 MLB draft. He made his big-league debut in 2013, was named to the AL All-Star team in 2016 and won a World Series with the team in 2018.