Are the Yankees really going to nickel-and-dime Brett Gardner?

I would hate to wait on Hal Steinbrenner in a diner. Something tells me, he's one of those guys who deducts taxes from the tip. On a $10 tab, he leaves nickels and a dime, talks incessantly on the phone and empties the "Need a Penny?" coin cup near the register. When he comes in, the waitresses take a break.   

This week, an Interweb report suggested that the Yankees' reunion with Brett Gardner is not the certainty we're certain of. It said the Death Star has yet to make Gardy an offer - with mere days before camp opens.

Apparently, the front office is playing chicken with Gardner, trying to wrangle a few spare pennies from the table. It's an authentic question to wonder if the Yankees actually need Gardy - another OF, albeit a lefty bat? But really, people, who here does not expect Gardy to re-sign? Show of hands? That's what I thought. 

Nobody expects to see him in another uniform.

So, here's the question: How much hemming and hawing should they apply to negotiations over their de facto captain? Are they really going to quibble over every thin dime? Is this how the cold winter of 2021 slides into spring, with the Yankee ownership fighting over every last 5-cent bottle deposit?

The Yankees seem content to field a competitive team in the AL East. This comes at a crossroads season, with several stars hitting their primes (Cole, Voit, Gleyber, Judge) or twilights (El Chapo, Stanton, Britton), and one additional cog - a LH bat or bullpen lug nut - could make the difference. But they have stopped. And now, are they really going to quibble over the price of Gardy? 

Sad.