Yankees: Riskiest Contracts on the Payroll Right Now

Yankees’ riskiest contracts: Giancarlo Stanton

Giancarlo Stanton can’t help but weigh down the Yankees’ payroll.

No, the Yankees didn’t have to give up much in the trade for Giancarlo Stanton — prospects Jorge Guzman and Jose Devers, along with Starlin Castro, went to Miami — but they did acquire (at the time) the largest contract in North American sports. The Marlins signed Stanton to a 13-year, $325 million deal before the 2015 season, which has since been eclipsed by Bryce Harper ($330 million) and Mike Trout ($426.5 million). Stanton will be making anywhere between $25 million and $32 million per year throughout the life of his deal, tying him to New York through the 2027 season (and he’s got a $10 million buyout or $25 million team option for 2028). He has an opt-out clause coming up, but it’d be senseless for him to exercise it. That means Stanton will be in the Bronx through his age-37 season, and that can’t have fans feeling comfortable, given his injury history. Before coming to the Yankees, he dealt with knee issues, which kept him out of significant portions of four seasons. While his inaugural year with New York was tremendous, he was limited to just 23 total games in 2019, and started off the 2020 season battling injuries that prevented him from participating in spring training. In short, nobody has any idea how this deal is going to pan out.