Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner and reliever Darren O’Day became free agents Thursday after players and teams declined to exercise their options for 2022.
Gardner, the only remaining player on the roster that won the World Series in 2009, had a batting average of .201 with five homers and 18 RBIs in the first half of recent season, and .239 with five home runs and 21 RBIs in the second.
The 38-year-old outfielder accepted a $ 5.15 million contract during the preseason for a season that included a player option of 2.3 million and a club option of 7.15 million with a buyout clause of $ 1.15 million.
Gardner, who appeared in the All-Star Game in 2015, has a .256 batting average with 139 home runs and 587 RBIs in 14 major league seasons.
O’Day, a right-hander who often throws laterally, turned 39 on October 22. He had a 3.38 ERA in 12 starts on the mound.
He was outcast from April 29 to June 30 due to a pulled rotator cuff on his shoulder on his work side. He had returned to the mound and acted twice but no longer pitched after July 4 because of a strained left hamstring.
O’Day agreed to a $ 3.15 million one-year contract in February that included a $ 1.4 million player option and a $ 3.15 million club alternative with a $ 700,000 termination. Accumulate experience from 14 major league seasons. (AP)