CLEVELAND — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he hadn’t spoken to Brett Gardner since before the lockout last offseason.
“That’s one of my regrets this year because I owe that to him,’’ Boone said before Game 4 of the ALDS.
He blamed the unusual schedule, since Boone — even though Gardner was a free agent at the time — was prohibited from talking to the outfielder.
The Yankees opted to not bring back the 39-year-old, who played 140 games for them in 2021, finishing with a career-low .689 OPS.
Gardner had offers from other teams in spring training — including the Blue Jays — but decided to stay home.
“I guess he was always in play,” Boone said. “The offseason was weird obviously because of the lockout and I couldn’t talk to people. And then all of a sudden, it broke and free agency and everything happened so quick.”
Aaron Boone (left) and Brett Gardner during spring training in 2019. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Aaron Boone and Clay Holmes celebrate the Yankees’ ALDS Game 4 win. Getty ImagesGardner had spent all 14 seasons of his career with the Yankees, and was a career .256 hitter with 139 home runs and 274 stolen bases.
