When the New York Yankees traded for Giancarlo Stanton, they thought they were getting his powerful 2017 version. But Stanton has been getting slower year by year due to injuries. In 2018, he had kind of a good season and appeared in 158 games. However, the following year, Stanton played in just 18 games. Then, during the Covid year, out of 60 games, the American baseball outfielder played in just 23.

Stanton did bounce back in 2021 with 139 games and a 3.1 WAR. But in these last three years, the 35-year-old has not been able to reproduce those numbers except once in 2018, compared to his years in the Marlins – this was definitely not the guy the Yankees traded for. In a recently uploaded video on YouTube, Michael Kay talked about the Giancarlo Stanton situation.

Kay noted, “The Yankees are built to win the World Series, and Stanton has shown up in every single postseason. I mean, he was phenomenal last year. Won the MVP in the ALCS. But is he with the price that you pay him? And clogging up the DH, which could give Judge a lot more time off his feet as he gets older.” Kay also questioned if it is worth it to get that spurt of production in the postseason when Stanton can’t stay on the field in the regular season.

Kay also claimed his answer would be a solid no, adding that the Yanks can find guys that could hit in the postseason, maybe not at the level that Stanton hit, but still the team can find some players who are at least consistent in the regular season. The Pinstripes really need someone consistent behind Judge in their lineup to make it to the postseason. Kay also mentions that if the team were to do the trade involving Giancarlo Stanton all over again, they would not.

The 2017 Giancarlo Stanton trade 

After intense negotiations that stretched into the early hours, the Miami Marlins and New York Yankees had finally reached an agreement to send Giancarlo Stanton, the reigning National League MVP, to the Yankees. In exchange, Miami received second baseman Starlin Castro, minor league right-hander Jorge Guzman (ranked No. 9 then in New York’s system by MLBPipeline.com), and infielder Jose Devers.

While the trade was a stunning development, it had been on the horizon after both the Giants and Cardinals withdrew from the pursuit of the powerful outfielder. Stanton had declined to waive his no-trade clause for either team, leaving the Yankees as the last suitor standing. As part of the deal, the Yankees took on all but $30 million of Stanton’s remaining $295 million contract, which runs for 10 years. This pushed the Yankees’ payroll higher for luxury tax purposes but at a relatively manageable increase of $17.43 million due to the difference in salaries between Stanton and the incoming Starlin Castro.

At the time, the Yanks had connections in the Marlins’ front office. Derek Jeter, the Old Timer, was the Marlins’ CEO at the time, and Gary Denbo, the Marlins’ VP of player development, held a similar position until October in the New York Yankees. These relationships played a pivotal role in getting the deal done and ultimately sent one of baseball’s biggest stars to New York, reshaping both teams’ futures in the process.