The $15 million Yankees question that could determine Giancarlo Stantons future
Giancarlo Stanton’s mind has consistently said one thing, his body another. Whether the two will finally match up again to allow him to be any kind of contributor for the Yankees in 2027, though, remains very much in question, setting up a $15 million decision. Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.After three separate calf strains sidelined him for five-plus months and relegated him to a pair of pinch-hit at-bats in October, the soon-to-be 37-year-old DH entered the offseason healthy.
That is the only bit of certainty the Yankees have involving Stanton, whose body continues to betray him late in his potential Hall of Fame career. “It destroyed him that he wasn’t available to us to try to help us and impact us in a positive way for most of the run this year,” general manager Brian Cashman said earlier this week.“He continued to fight through it, as someone who is wired right should.
He is wired right.His leadership in there [the clubhouse] is not in question.
His care factor is not in question.It’s just keeping him on the field so he can help us in that win column — it was a huge problem for us especially in 2026.” Regardless of what happens, the Yankees owe Stanton $15 million in 2027 (with the Marlins paying the other $10 million of his $25 million salary), which is why it makes little sense to cut him now.
They have sufficient room on their 40-man roster to get to work this offseason without having to worry about a crunch just yet. So whenever spring training actually begins, depending on the looming lockout, Stanton figures to at least have a chance to report to camp and show the Yankees what he has left.But once that happens, then the clock might start ticking louder. The way the Yankees are currently constructed, assuming health, there may not be a whole lot of DH at-bats up for grabs even if Stanton is physically able.
In his abse...