Both Brett Gardner and the New York Yankees declined his $2.3 million option for the 2022 MLB season, the club announced Thursday.

Given his age (38) and service time, retirement seemed a plausible outcome for the outfielder following the Yankees' loss to the Boston Red Sox in the American League Wild Card Game. However, he was emphatic about wanting to return to the Bronx postgame:

[bleacherreport.com]