Listing the 25 most overpaid MLB players in 2023, from future Hall of Famers to surprise names
By Bill Felber
6. Giancarlo Stanton, DH, New York Yankees
Stanton was one of the first mega signees, coming to terms on a 13-year, $325 million deal with the Miami Marlins after the 2014 season.
When the Marlins found that deal too onerous to actually follow through with, they traded Stanton to the Yankees for 2018. The Yanks owe Stanton $32 million this year, which remarkably makes him only the team’s third highest player beyond Aaron Judge ($40 million) and Gerrit Cole ($36 million.)
Stanton has not been as productive as either of his equally famous teammates. Playing only 52 games due to injuries, he’s hitting just .200 with 13 home runs and 34 RBIs. Those power totals are decent for a capable player, but you expect more than capability from Stanton, especially when he’s only batting .200 to start.
The shortcomings in Stanton’s value are underscored when you consider that his primary position is DH, the most offensive-oriented position of all. At $32 million, Stanton and Miguel Cabrera are the two highest-paid members of their DH class – earning close to four times the group average — so they ought to be the most productive.
Stanton has not delivered on that expectation. His stats work out to a nominal +0.1 WAR, well below average for the sport as a whole and also well below the +0.652 average for the DH group.
When you translate Stanton’s 2023 production to money, he values out at $1.365 million to the Yankee cause. That puts New York’s overpayment to him at $30.635 million.