The New York Yankees acquired Giancarlo Stanton and most of his contract from the Miami Marlins over the offseason. Although he is signed through 2028, will his contract turn into a bargain?
In the 2014 offseason, Giancarlo Stanton signed a 13-year, $325 million contract extension with the Miami Marlins. After the smaller portions of the contract were completed, the Marlins decided to begin trade talks for the 2017 National League MVP. This was due to the new ownership needing to make drastic changes to the teams payroll when they took over. Enter the New York Yankees.
According to baseball-reference, Stanton can opt out of his current contract following the 2020 season. If the Yankees remain a top contender, it would be hard to imagine him risking entering the open market if he would like to remain in the Bronx. The open market risk would involve giving up a guaranteed $218 million through his age 31-37 seasons.
As the Marlins will owe $30 million to the Yankees to cover some of Stanton’s contract if he does not opt out, this contract could turn into a bargain for the Bronx Bombers.
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With the expected massive paydays for Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, they may end up making Stanton’s contract look small in comparison. Although those two players are much younger than Stanton, the Yankees were able to obtain a very good defensive outfielder with arguably the most power in the game for $265 million over 10 years if he does not opt out.
This figure takes away the $30 million owed by the Marlins and the $10 million buyout of Stanton’s team option in 2028. If the team option is picked up, his contract will be $280 million over 11 years.
The Yankees front office is currently on pace to reset their luxury tax penalties by staying below a $197 million team contract this season, so money will not be an issue in the short-term going forward. However, by obtaining Stanton at an arguably bargain-value, the Yankees do not need to chase after Machado or Harper in free agency. This will give the Yankees more flexibility in the long-term to retain stars such as Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, and Gary Sanchez.
Although Stanton’s numbers are down from his outstanding MVP campaign last year, he is still having a great season for the Yankees. Through 112 games, he has 27 home runs with 73 runs batted in and 71 runs scored. His on-base percentage is .343 while his slugging percentage is .517. Between his production and the lower cost of his salary compared to what other stars may obtain in the upcoming off-season, Stanton was a phenomenal addition by Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman.