Brett Gardner admitted to being caught off guard when he heard the Yankees had signed Jacoby Ellsbury this offseason.
“I was surprised at first. I didn’t really see it coming,” Gardner said.
So it didn’t take him long to join many others in wondering what his future was with the Yankees.
“You hear all the trade speculation once we signed Ellsbury,” Gardner said. “He’s got the same kind of skill-set, so obviously the wheels start turning.”
Ever since the move, general manager Brian Cashman said he thought the two could play alongside each other, and the trade talk has since quieted, especially since Gardner likely would have been moved for a starting pitcher — something the Yankees addressed by signing Masahiro Tanaka.
And though Cashman publicly supported the idea of Ellsbury and Gardner playing in the outfield together, Gardner also heard from manager Joe Girardi.
“He called to check in on how I was feeling mentally and to explain it didn’t mean they didn’t want me around,” Gardner said of the conversation, which came around Christmas. “They still envision me playing a big role on this team. I didn’t expect anyone to reach out to me.”
Yet, Gardner’s future remains somewhat murky — even if he stays in The Bronx. He’s about to head into a free-agency season, and before Ellsbury arrived Gardner was the everyday center fielder and leadoff hitter. Now, he figures to be in left and toward the bottom of the order if Derek Jeter is healthy.
“I try not to think about it,” said Gardner, who was honored at the Thurman Munson Awards Dinner for AHRC NYC at the Grand Hyatt in Midtown. “I can’t control it. Last year, I felt, went pretty well.”
He will head to Tampa, Fla., soon waiting to learn his role on a team with plenty of new faces.
“I don’t really have any expectations about where I’m playing or where I’m hitting [in the lineup],” Gardner said. “All that stuff will sort itself out. We do have a lot of guys [in the outfield].”
With Carlos Beltran and Ellsbury joining Gardner, Alfonso Soriano and Ichiro Suzuki, it figures to be crowded. Gardner played 145 games last season and missed the last part of the season with an oblique injury after suffering through an injury-plagued 2012.
“A lot of things can happen before Opening Day,” Gardner said. “They know what I’m capable of doing. I don’t think this … means they’re trying to force me out. I’m planning on going to spring training and helping the team win. It’s definitely something I want to be a part of.”
And he’s eager to play with Ellsbury, wherever it is.
“He makes any team better,” Gardner said. “I look forward to playing beside him and learning from him. I’ve got a feeling he knows some pitchers, especially in our division.”