Yankees Open To Trading Brett Gardner

[RealGM Wiretap]

After adding Carlos Beltran and Jacoby Ellsbury to their outfield, the New York Yankees are open to trading Brett Gardner, according to sources.

The Yankees haven't ruled out holding onto Gardner, but they view him as a valuable piece in addressing one of their needs -- second base, third base and pitching.

In addition to Beltran and Ellsbury, the Yankees also have Alfonso Soriano, Ichiro Suzuki and Vernon Wells in the outfield.

Via Andrew Marchand/ESPN

[moocow007]

I would imagine, barring injuries, that Soriano would be the opening day DH for the Yanks (with Beltran, Elsbury and Ichiro manning the OF from left to right in that order)...unless they want to think of moving Soriano back to the position he played with the Yanks and which Cano just vacated (doubt it)? So that would leave the Yanks with Wells as the 4th OF.

Considering the age of Beltran and (especially) Ichiro and with Elsbury propensity for getting one nagging injury or another, it may leave them a little light. But then again, 4th or 5th OF's aren't exactly hard to find so sure.

But what is Gardner's value really? He's a dynamic player that always plays full out and his ability to impact the game on the basepaths can't be denied, but he also has a propensity of getting injured (like Elsbury). That and his lack of power and run producing capabilities would put him more as a 2nd tier-ish type asset than a top one.

Gardner, if he can stay healthy is someone that can hit around .275 to .280 and steal about 40 bases. He's a strong defensive fielder and he plays with a lot of energy which makes him a fan favorite. Don't know that his OBP is ideal for a leadoff guy and he strikes out a LOT for a guy that cant hit homers.