The New York Yankees are headed into an interesting off-season, which will be composed of optimistic rumors and fluctuations. Whether it be starting pitching or trading catcher Gary Sanchez, we can expect the hot stove to be ablaze. However, there is one narrative that needs to be shut down before it gets out of hand, and that is a potential trade involving Giancarlo Stanton.
Stanton, who elected to opt into the remainder of his contract with the Yankees, will stick with the team moving forward. When Stanton was traded to the Yankees by the Miami Marlins, he was on a 13 year, $325 million deal. He had the option of opting in to the 2021 season, which would keep him until 2027 with a club option for 2028. He will make a maximum of $32 million for three consecutive seasons between 2023-2025.
To put that into perspective, the Tampa Bay Rays’ entire payroll is less than Stanton’s contract alone on a yearly basis. That should give you an idea of how analytics play a part in any given team’s strategy and how the Yankees can’t even buy their way to a World Series. Something needs to change, and the fact that people think any team would be willing to acquire Stanton and his behemoth contract is silly.
This past season, Stanton underwhelmed once again. He wasn’t awful by any means, but he wasn’t the MVP-caliber player we expect him to be. He slashed .250/.387/.500 this year, accounting for four home runs and 11 RBIs.
He only managed to play in 23 games, which was less than half of the 2020 campaign. What is even more frustrating, the Yankees took him out of their defense completely, utilizing him as a designated hitter specifically.
Even then, Stanton wasn’t able to remain healthy, pulling his hamstring against the Tampa Bay Rays early on in the campaign. His inability to remain a consistent factor is purely comical, as the Bombers are paying 10s of millions of dollars for a one-sided player who still can’t remain healthy.
That should be your primary reason to believe that no team would be willing to deal for Stanton unless the Yankees are shouldering the majority of his contract, which is highly unlikely.