Yankees: 4 Potential Giancarlo Stanton Trade Destinations

With the National League implementing a designated hitter for 2020 and beyond, there are a few teams that could be potential trade partners if the New York Yankees look to deal Giancarlo Stanton.

When Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman pulled the trigger on acquiring Giancarlo Stanton ahead of the 2018 season, it shocked the world. The thought of the reigning NL MVP and NL HR leader hitting back-to-back with 2017 AL Rookie of the Year and AL HR leader Aaron Judge was mind blowing.

In 2017, Stanton hit 59 HR while Judge hit 52, combining for 111 HR. Fans started fantasizing about just how many HR the two could combine for as teammates for years to come, as Stanton was under contract through 2028 and Judge was under team control for several more seasons.

However, the dream of the two sluggers mashing HR left and right in the same lineup throughout a whole season has yet to come true. In 2018, Stanton played 158 games and hit 38 HR with a slash line of .266/.343/.509, all of which were decreases from 2017. Meanwhile, Judge missed 50 games due to injury and hit 27 HR.

The following year, Judge missed 60 games and hit 27 HR again. On the other hand, Stanton missed virtually the whole season, playing just 18 games with three HR. So, in the two years they’ve been teammates, the two have combined for 95 HR.

Obviously, it’s to no fault of their own that the two haven’t hit as many HR as we thought, as when they are on the field, they do undeniably produce. However, with Stanton’s gigantic contract, the Yankees wouldn’t be beside themselves if they got a shot at unloading it onto another franchise, especially considering how deep the offense has become outside of Stanton.

Will Stanton actually be traded in the near future? It’s doubtful, especially considering he has a no-trade clause, but if Cashman wanted to free up some salary to extend the likes of Judge, Gary Sanchez, Gleyber Torres, etc, then he’ll have to at least consider the possibility. With the NL adding a DH, it certainly opens up some additional doors if Stanton were to ever waive his clause.

Health has been an issue for Stanton, but with a universal DH, any team can now slot him in there if needed. When he’s fully healthy, he’s proven to be a more than capable outfielder as well.

Stanton is entering his age-30 season, and has accumulated a 40.4 WAR in 1,162 games. There’s no question he’s been one of the top players in the game when he’s on the field, and he’s still got plenty left in the tank.

With that being said, here are four potential suitors for a Giancarlo Stanton trade.

San Francisco Giants

Current OF depth

Hunter Pence (Age 37) – Career WAR: 31.6 in 1,690 G (Free Agent: 2021)

Billy Hamilton (29) – Career WAR: 10.2 in 809 G (FA: 2021)

Alex Dickerson (30) – Career WAR: 1.6 in 163 G (FA: 2023)

Austin Slater (27) – Career WAR: 0.7 in 176 G (FA: 2025)

Mike Yastrzemski (29) – Career WAR: 2.8 in 107 G (FA: 2026)

Missing the playoffs in four of the past five seasons since their most recent World Series Championship in 2014, the San Francisco Giants are well past that illustrious era. Not only that, but since 2015, attendance has dropped every year, with 2019 seeing a substantial drop of over 400,000 fans from the previous season.

What better way to attract fans than to add a former MVP known to crush balls to the moon? With the Giants suffering from a lack of power in recent years, adding Stanton would instantly give them their best HR threat since Barry Bonds.

Since 2015, there have been only four instances in which a Giants player reached the 20 HR mark. Not one time in those four instances did a player hit more than 21. Since 2015, Stanton has had four such seasons.

The Giants find themselves in the top 10 in payroll annually, so the front office is no stranger to spending big. With Buster Posey and Johnny Cueto’s contracts ending after 2021, and Evan Longoria’s after 2022, the Giants will have ample room to stay under the luxury tax to take on Stanton’s contract not only right now, but for years to come.

Why would the Giants do it? Why take on a contract as big as Stanton’s when they may want to rebuild? Like I said, the Giants are losing fan interest, and being in one of the larger markets, ownership wouldn’t be wise to initiate a rebuild from scratch. Stanton fills a gaping hole that the team has struggled to fill for a long time now. He was almost dealt to SF back in 2017, too — here’s a second chance, with a new positional hole to fill.

St. Louis Cardinals

Current OF depth

Dexter Fowler (34) – Career WAR: 19.8 in 1,422 G (FA: 2022)

Harrison Bader (26) –  Career WAR: 5.6 in 298 G (FA: 2024)

Tyler O’Neill (25) – Career WAR: 1.5 in 121 G (FA: 2025)

Tommy Edman (25) – Career WAR: 3.9 in 91 G (FA: 2026)

Lane Thomas – (24) Career WAR: 0.6 in 34 G (FA: 2026)

The Cardinals are a team known to churn out talent from their farm system and turn them into franchise cornerstones, such as Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright and company. From time to time, they’ll spend some money in free agency as well.

Ever so rarely do you see them trade for top talent in the game, but they recently did so with Paul Goldschmidt. With the lack of young proven talent at the outfield spots and with Dexter Fowler on his way out in the next couple of years, they could use another veteran presence with pop.

Unlike the Giants, the Cardinals play in a small market. However, the Cardinals often rank in the top half, if not the top 10, in spending each year. The Cardinals, along with the Giants, were noted as a team that was interested in Stanton when the Marlins were shopping him, but with that no-trade clause, Stanton was able to finagle his way to the Bronx.

Why would the Cardinals do it? They always want to compete, and although they don’t shy away from giving their homegrown guys a chance, teams like the Cubs, Brewers and Reds are all looking to compete in the coming years, so the Red Birds will have to keep pace.

Atlanta Braves

Current OF depth:

Marcell Ozuna (29) – Career WAR: 18.5 in 931 G (FA: 2021)

Nick Markakis* (36) – Career WAR: 34.2 in 2,117 G (FA: 2021)

Adam Duvall (31) – Career WAR: 6.7 in 541 G (FA: 2022)

Ender Inciarte (29) – Career WAR: 18.9 in 759 G (FA: 2023)

Ronald Acuña (22) – Career WAR: 9.9 in 267 G (FA: 2029)

*  – Indicates elected not to play the 2020 season.

The Atlanta Braves are very much a team in win-now mode. That’s not to say that the window is closing by any means, but the mixture of young and veteran talent on this team is as good as it’s ever been. If they want to build a dynasty, adding Stanton would surely help.

The outfield had four starting-worthy players entering the year. However, Markakis has elected not to play the 2020 season and will be 37 as he enters free agency this offseason, and Ozuna is signed for only one year. Meanwhile, Inciarte has steadily declined since his 2017 All-Star campaign, and Adam Duvall is mostly serviceable as a platoon-type player.

Stanton could easily slot in as their DH and hit right behind the trio of Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuña and Freddie Freeman. In joining what is arguably a top five offense in the MLB, Stanton could elevate them to new levels.

Financially, it could certainly work. This offseason, the Braves have roughly $70 million coming off the books. Acuña and Albies are already locked up for the long term on team-friendly deals, and many of their young arms are under team control for the next few years. The team can take on Stanton’s contract and still have plenty of room to negotiate an extension for Freeman, who hits the market ahead of the 2022 season.

Why would the Braves do it? Why not? They don’t have any glaring weaknesses, but the NL East is set to be a dog fight with everyone outside of the Marlins eyeing for the division crown. Plus, Stanton is no stranger to that division either.