Should the New York Yankees bring back Brett Gardner?

Brett Gardner, the longest-tenured member currently on the New York Yankees, wants to come back in 2020. Here are three reasons why the team should oblige.

After the New York Yankees notched their 98th victory of the season in Toronto, Brett Gardner made it clear that if the team wants him back, he will return for another season with the Bronx Bombers.

According to NJ.COM’s Randy Miller, Gardner said, “I would love to come back next year. I’ve always been very honest about not wanting to play anywhere else.”

For now, Gardy wants to focus on helping his team win it’s 28th World Series, his second. “I’m focusing on the team and I’m not really concerned about my contract right now,” he added.

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

Initially, experts and analysts guessed that after this season, CC Sabathia and Gardner would walk off into the sunset together. However, after the season Gardner has put up for the Yanks, the team may now be wondering if the veteran outfielder should be back for one more round.

With that in mind, I’ve gone ahead and compiled a brief list of reasons why the Yankees should bring back Brett, and we begin with…

1. Gardner’s newfound power

This season, Brett Gardner has mashed 25 home runs, third-most in a Yankee squad the features the likes of Gleyber Torres (37 HR), Gary Sanchez (34 HR), and Aaron Judge (23 HR). 25 home runs is a career-high for Gardner, who has only exceeded the 20 home run mark once before in 2017. That season, Gardy only managed to hit 21.

For a team whose focus is (A) get on-base and (B) hit home runs, Gardner has somehow turned himself into a major asset for the team that ranks second in MLB in OBP and HR. If nothing else, having a home run threat coming off the bench is something few teams in MLB have.

Then, there’s his…

2. Defensive prowess

Believe it or not, Gardner is one of the best defensive outfielders in the game. In fact, among ALL MLB outfielders with a minimum 1000 outfield innings, Gardy ranks 9th in defensive runs saved according to FanGraphs.

Finally, there’s his…

3. Epic rallying calls

This season, Brett Gardner took Yankees fans by storm with one of the most epic rallying calls… “Let Brett Bang.”

It’s clear, the New York Yankees are a better team with Brett Gardner. So, from my perspective, bring Brett back!