Cubs cannot consider outfielder Brett Gardner in free agency

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Years ago, Brett Gardn er checked a lot of boxes for the Cubs. Now, not so much.

Lately, it seems like if you were an above-average player half a decade ago, but are on the wrong end of your 30s and looking to stay in the game, you were probably a target of the Cubs. With the front office working with a budget that’s been hampered by some less-than-ideal contracts that haven’t panned out and ownership pulling the purse strings, Theo Epstein has tried to get creative.

Guys like Carlos Gonzalez, Daniel Descalso, Steven Souza Jr., Junichi Tazawa and Jonathan Lucroy are just a handful of such moves that haven’t paid dividends in recent years. But knowing…