Considering they booed him on Opening Day of his first season in pinstripes, the news will come as no surprise to fans of the New York Yankees that Giancarlo Stanton’s contract is an albatross.
Still, according to Bleacher Reports’ Joel Reuter, Stanton’s contract is the seventh worst in baseball.
“His strong playoff performance and the fact that the Marlins are on the hook for roughly 25 percent of his remaining salary keeps him from ranking any higher, “Reuter wrote. “But it’s unlikely he will live up to his salary over the remaining three seasons of his 13-year, $325 million megadeal.”
Stanton still has three years left on the 13-year deal he signed with the Miami Marlins. The Yankees took over the deal in 2018 with Marlins picking up about a quarter of the money. He will be paid $32 million in 2025.
Now 35 years old, Stanton is limited by age and the toll the game has taken on his 6-foot-6, 245-pound body. In seven seasons as a Yankee, Stanton has hit 162 home runs and slashed .241/.323/.483.
He did not play in the outfield at all in 2024 and his need to be in the designated hitter role limits the flexibility that manager Aaron Boone has with his lineup.
But Stanton’s performance this postseason has certainly made all that easier to tolerate. Stanton hammered seven home runs, drove in 16 runs, and had a 1.048 OPS as he was named the MVP of the American League Championship Series.
Reuter named Anaheim Angels’ outfielder Mike Trout’s 12-year, $430 million deal the worst contract in all of baseball.
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Yankees Considered No. 1 Landing Spot For Top Free Agent Infielder
The New York Yankees did not receive much offensive production from the first base position during the 2024 regular season. In fact, the .619 OPS that the Yankees’ first basemen produced this regular season was the worst in all MLB.
This is why it would make sense for New York to upgrade the position by free agency or trade this offseason. And in a November 30 article, Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller listed the Yankees as the No. 1 potential landing spot for former Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker.
“The catalyst for doing Walker’s landing spots now was Bob Nightengale’s rumor mill article for USA Today from earlier this week, in which he wrote: ‘If the New York Yankees don’t re-sign Juan Soto, one back-up plan floating around is signing free-agent first baseman Christian Walker, sign either Willy Adames or Alex Bregman to play third, shift Jazz Chisholm to second base, trade for Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger, and then use the extra money to sign Burnes, Fried or Snell,'” Miller wrote.
“Long before the Yankees officially declined Anthony Rizzo’s $17 million club option for 2025, the entire world expected them to be in on Walker, as first base was a disaster area for the AL champs in 2024. Nightengale even had them listed first among teams likely to “aggressively pursue” Walker in his GM meetings wrap-up article in early November,” he continued.
Miller concluded the article by writing, “Aside from hanging on to Soto, upgrading at first base is, arguably, the top priority on New York’s offseason agenda. And there’s a small sample size suggesting Yankee Stadium could be a fantastic home over the next three years for Walker, who has a career 1.127 OPS in six games played there.”
The Yankees could certainly do worse than bringing Walker to the Bronx this offseason.
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