Former Yankee Brett Gardner Has Ghosted the Team Since His Retirement

The Yankees are honoring their all-time greats this weekend, however the celebration will fall in need of a Gardy Social gathering.

Former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner didn’t reply to the crew’s invitation to its annual Outdated Timers’ Day celebration on Sunday, August 25, a spokesperson for the crew informed The Athletic.

The spokesperson additionally stated Gardner has not responded in any respect to the Yankees since he retired in 2021 and made it clear he needed to remain out of the limelight.

“He’s off the grid. Like, utterly off the grid. Zero darkish thirty,” one other supply informed the Day by day Information.

This 12 months’s 76th annual Outdated Timers’ Day pays tribute to the 2009 Yankees, a World Collection-winning crew. It’s the fifteenth anniversary of the 27-time champions’ most up-to-date title, and Gardner was a rookie that season whose grit and hustle gained followers’ hearts. The Yankees are the one crew he performed for in his 14-year profession.

A bunch of Gardner’s former teammates, together with Derek Jeter, CC Sabathia, Johnny Damon, Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera have all confirmed they may attend the occasion. Festivities will embody introductions and a Q&A earlier than the commonly scheduled Yankees recreation towards the Colorado Rockies.

Gardner’s longtime agent Joe Bick couldn’t shed a lot gentle on the previous outfielder’s absence however informed The Athletic that Gardner plans to be house in Holly Hill, South Carolina, on Friday, August 23.

“All I do know is his son’s bought a soccer recreation on Friday night time and he intends to be there,” he stated.

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Although Gardner performed his remaining recreation in 2021, Bick ​​informed NJ Advance Media in 2022 that his shopper nonetheless needed to play. The Yankees had curiosity in bringing him again as nicely, however the two sides by no means agreed on a contract.

He didn’t fare too badly, nevertheless, making greater than $88 million in wage alone over the course of his profession, based on knowledge from Baseball-Reference.

Three years faraway from Gardner’s remaining recreation, lots of his ex-teammates are nonetheless on the Yankees, together with captain and American League Residence Run King Aaron Choose. Choose began his profession in proper discipline however now sees loads of time in middle, the place Gardner as soon as performed. He begins every recreation by honoring Gardner along with his signature flex throughout the followers’ “Roll Name” custom.

“He won’t have been the man that’s placing up 40-homer seasons or hitting .320 each single 12 months or a [multi-time] All-Star,” Choose informed The Athletic in a narrative revealed August 7. “However what this man meant inside this clubhouse, the issues he taught me about being a pacesetter and making an attempt to deal with folks with respect — even what I noticed from him and the way he handled folks. I don’t need folks to overlook that.”