Yankees' 2027 DH plan should be clear, even if Brian Cashman won't admit it

For the better part of the last decade, the New York Yankees' plan at designated hitter has revolved around Giancarlo Stanton. Since acquiring the 2017 NL MVP during the 2017-2018 offseason, the hope has been that the twin towers of Aaron Judge in right field and Stanton at DH could anchor the Yankees' lineup and bring them to the promised land.

Despite being a postseason force, with 2024's magical run in particular standing out, this formula has led to a lot of regular-season success and a ton of playoff futility. Recently, it's also led to a bunch of stints on the IL.

The question of Stanton and the DH spot was broached during New York's end-of-season press conference, with Brian Cashman sharing some thoughts that were equal parts telling and confusing.

"He finished the season healthy, so he enters the winter healthy,” Cashman told reporters. “Obviously, we know what he’s capable of when he is healthy. So we look forward to seeing if we can deploy a healthy version of him next year. But obviously, that DH spot is also available or up for grabs as well for other people who could benefit from it at the same time. We’ll have those kinds of conversations."

Healthy is the operative word with Stanton. He's "healthy" now, but he was limited solely to pinch-hitting duty in October after missing the bulk of the 2026 regular season with a calf that wouldn't stop straining. Is he really healthy now? And if so, how long will his good fortune last? We all remember how he showed up at spring training in 2025 with dual tennis elbows.

Despite what seemed like an openness to move away from Stanton in 2027, Cashman couldn't quite go that far. He had to make one additional comment to soften the blow.

“But I can tell you this… G’s a very accountable, responsible, wired correctly professional athlete,” the veteran executive opined.

We don't disagree, which is why it pains us to say that the time to move on from Stanton has already arrived.

The Yankees can't allow Giancarlo Stanton to clog up the DH spot in 2027, and the time to cut bait is now

What's the over/under on games played for Stanton in 2027? 40? 50? It can't be much more than that. And if he is in the lineup, will he be effective? We'd all like to see prime Big G, but it wasn't all that long ago — 2023, to be exact — that he put up an 88 wRC+ and subtracted 0.6 fWAR from the club. That came in the midst of a three-year streak of sub-.300 OBPs.

Taking a step back, this is even more about team-building philosophy. The DH spot shouldn't be "up for grabs" as much as it should be open, with no permanent owner.

In the context of New York's 2027 roster, it only makes sense to be able to rotate players through it. Judge should get a healthy dose of DH days, as we've seen the impact that losing him for extended stretches can have on the lineup.

And even if the Yankees find a way to reposition Luis Garcia Jr. so that he and Ben Rice can play the field at the same time, Rice has proven that his bat is valuable enough to protect with some DH days of his own. Add in some time for Cody Bellinger and a few other players, and suddenly the slate is full with no room for Stanton.

Having a position-less player who can't DH everyday drastically hampers roster flexibility. Constructing a roster like that would be criminal. The money the Marlins are sending the Yankees to cover the final years of Stanton's contract makes a DFA more palatable. With him gone, the club can use the valuable roster spot on a more versatile player, which in turn will make for a stronger roster overall.

So the answer to the DH question should be abundantly clear. No one should win the job; instead, it should be a timeshare among all of the Yankees' most important hitters, even if that means the end of the road for a man who has earned his pinstripes in Stanton.

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