Every year, the offseason is held up by one or two big names. This season the two were Shohei Ohtani, who signed with the Los Angeles Angels, and Giancarlo Stanton, who was traded by the Miami Marlins to the New York Yankees, if he doesn’t refuse this trade too, which he has the clause for.
Stanton, on paper, makes the Yankees the most impressive offensive team in the majors, giving them an incredibly fearsome middle of the lineup potential, even with Starlin Castro going down to South Beach.
Stanton missed only 3 games this season, hitting 59 home runs for 132 RBIs, winning his first MVP award, also making the All-Star game for a 4th time and picking up his second silver slugger award. He batted a .281 (best since 2014), posting a .376 OBP and an incredible .632 SLG. The Yankees looked like they were building a dominant team for years to come, but now that Stanton has arrived, anything short of a pennant would be disappointing for a franchise that usually aims as high as possible.
As far as the contract goes, the Yankees get to control Stanton for the next three seasons, which pay him $77 million. He can opt out of his deal in 2020. If not, he’ll make $29 million in 2021 and 2022, $32 million a season in 2023-2025, $29 million in 2026 and $25 million in 2027. The 2028 season is a $25 million team option or a $10 million buyout.
Stanton played with the Marlins since 2010. He has an impressive 267 home runs in just 986 games, batting .268 with a .554 slugging line. Quite a few people see this as a move parallel to that of Alex Rodriguez landing in New York from Texas. While the Yankees won just one World Series ring with Rodriguez, it’s hard to argue about his success, at least up to the whole PED scandal derailing his career, along with age and injuries. Rodriguez won two MVP awards while playing for the Yankees, and arrived there at about the same age (Stanton is 28). A-Rod’s first 7 seasons with the team included him posting 43-home runs per 162 games, just under the 44 Stanton is averaging for his career.
Which position will he play? A right fielder, he’ll probably get time at DH as well. He appeared four times as the DH last season for the Marlins, crushing balls while batting .471 with two home runs and .882 slugging. Along with Stanton, the Yankees will be shipping prospects Jorge Guzman and Jose Devers to the Marlins.