Baseball Interesting tidbit about Yanks Rule 5 pick-up. Could Brett Gardner be leaving? After acquiring Curtis Granderson in a trade and Jamie Hoffman in the Rule 5 Draft, the Yankees have an outfield logjam. Who will be the odd man out? by Staff Post December 11, 2009 The Yankees currently have some what of a logjam in the outfield. Going into the winter meetings the outfielders on the Yankees roster were Melky Cabrera, Nick Swisher, and Brett Gardner. Then they acquired Curtis Granderson via trade and Jaime Hoffman in the Rule 5 Draft. The Yankees are still determining if Johnny Damon is going to re-sign. By rule, because he was a Rule 5 pick, Hoffman must remain on the 25-man roster next season or he will be offered back to the LA Dodgers for just $25,000. Hoffman is a right handed hitter that some people believe can eventually turn into an every day type player. He spent most of last season on the Dodgers Triple-A squad. In 97 minor league games last season, Hoffman hit .291 with 10 home runs and 64 RBI’s. Judging by GM Brian Cashman’s comments, the Yankees are planning on Hoffman remaining with the team. “He’s a guy we’re hoping can be No. 25 on this roster and give Joe some choices as he matches up on a daily basis,” Cashman said. Hoffman did make his big league debut last season and played in 14 games for the Dodgers, going 4-22 with a home run. The Yankees may feel they need to get rid of an outfielder. Obviously its possible that Hoffman does not stay with the team, however its also possible that he does. In that case, I would expect the Yankees will part ways with Brett Gardner. Gardner has great speed and range in centerfield, but he bats left handed. New centerfielder, Granderson, struggles against left handed pitching so the extra right handed bat on the bench might be better. If Johnny Damon does re-sign, the logjam gets even bigger. How many outfielders do the Yankees want to carry? I would not be surprised if none of this is decided until some time during spring training. The Yankees may let all of these players in and compete for the roster spots. We shall see. It is however being reported that the White Sox and Royals are interested in Gardner. Post Views: 1,668 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Staff Post Latest posts by Staff Post (see all) In The Zone Announces Initial Podcast Lineup - November 13, 2020 The Essential Resources You Need to Start Your Own Gym in 2020 - February 6, 2020 Wilder vs Fury II – How the second fight will be different to the first? - February 5, 2020 Early turnovers, defensive struggles plague the Scarlet Knights - January 26, 2020 Related TopicsBrett GardnerCurtis GrandersonDodgersJaime HoffmanJohnny DamonMelky CabreraNew York YankeesNick Swisher Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Women in Sports: Podcast Host, New York Riptide Sideline Reporter, Dani Wexelman by Luke Porco | posted on March 3, 2020 From Paramus High School to CBS Sports, Spero Dedes is making waves in sports broadcasting by Sunil Sunder Raj | posted on October 27, 2020 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 “Overtime” l Ep. 28: TopSpin Celeb-Athlete Tournament – Dec. 6, 2018 by Stefany Romero | posted on December 19, 2018 More in Baseball You Know I’m Right, Episode 112: New York Jets’ Insider Brian Costello (Audio/Video) On the 112th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) On the 109th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 108: WFAN’s Sweeny Murti (Audio/Video) On the 108th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 107: New York Post’s Columnist Mike Vaccaro (Audio/Video) On the 107th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... Where do Yankees turn now that Lackey and Halladay are off the market?