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New York Yankees Rumors: Brett Gardner To Cleveland Indians?

By Kenneth Teape

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New York Yankees Rumors: Brett Gardner has been a popular name on the MLB Hot Stove thus far and rumor has it that he could be traded to the Cleveland Indians now for a power pitcher.

The New York Yankees are always a team to watch in the offseason, as they are involved in plenty of rumors. As the MLB Hot Stove begins to heat up, we have already seen the Yankees get involved. First they traded catcher John Ryan Murphy to the Minnesota Twins for outfielder Aaron Hicks. Some people believe that move is a precursor to another one.

The popular player that is discussed to be departing next is veteran outfielder Brett Gardner. While the Seattle Mariners were originally thought of as a landing spot, that looks unlikely now that they have acquired Leonys Martin from the Texas Rangers. With the Mariners seemingly out of the running, there is now another team that could be stepping up to acquire Gardner.

So who is the team that Jon Morosi is hearing whispers about potentially adding Gardner? He is hearing that the Cleveland Indians are a potential landing spot, and it makes sense. With Michael Brantley undergoing shoulder surgery last week, and his availability for the beginning of the regular season in doubt, the Indians are in need of an outfielder. Gardner could help fill that void, while also playing next to Brantley once he returns from the DL.

Who would the Yankees be getting in return? Based on other talks, it seems that the Yankees are looking to receive cost-controlled starting pitching in return for Gardner. That would make the Indians a good match on the trade front, as they are dangling Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar to upgrade their lineup.

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If there is any truth to what Morisi is hearing, this is a trade the Yankees should jump all over. If they are able to land someone the caliber of Salazar, who is not even in his arbitration years yet, or Carrasco, who looks like a top of the rotation arm and cannot become a free agent before 2019, trading Gardner would be an easy pill to swallow.

While Gardner is arguably their best outfielder, they would struggle to do much better than landing a 25-year old Salazar or 28-year old Carrasco. Gardner is on the wrong side of 30, being 32-years old already. His value may never be higher, as Gardner is a solid top of the order bat that can play left or centerfield. It would seem this would be a no-brainer for the Yankees if this is an actual package being discussed.

It is hard to believe that the Indians would trade one of those two arms for just Gardner, as other prospects could be sent with him. The Yankees could also pay for some of the $39.5 million he has left on his contract over the next three seasons to help sweeten the deal.

But, as long as someone such as Luis Severino, Aaron Judge or Greg Bird aren’t part of the deal, the Yankees seem willing to listen. If they can land a potential ace to go with Severino and Masahiro Tanaka at the top of the rotation, a lot of the Yankees starting rotation problems would be solved.

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This is probably not the last that we hear about the Yankees potentially trading Gardner, but when there is smoke there is usually fire. Expect Gardner to be moved at some point, and if the Yankees are able to land someone such as Salazar or Carrasco, it would be considered a huge win for the Yankees.

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