SAN DIEGO — The Yankees have spent this season trying to keep a championship-caliber roster intact while injuries keep changing the shape of their lineup. Giancarlo Stanton has become the costliest example of how quickly that calculation can turn.
Stanton has not played since April 24. He first went down with a right calf strain, then suffered a moderate strain of his left calf while running the bases during his rehab in August. The Yankees transferred him to the 60-day injured list Aug. 25, and manager Aaron Boone has acknowledged that a 2026 return will be difficult.
The immediate concern is whether Stanton can contribute again this season. The bigger question stretches into 2027. Stanton is under contract for $25 million next year, with Miami’s remaining trade subsidy reducing the Yankees’ net obligation by $10 million.
That makes this more than another injured-list story. Stanton turns 37 in November, has appeared in only 24 games this season and has not taken a major league at-bat in more than four months. No official decision has been announced on whether he will remain with the Yankees next year.
The contradiction makes the situation harder. Stanton was the 2024 ALCS MVP and followed that run with 24 home runs and a .944 OPS in 77 games last season. When healthy, he has still shown the power to change a postseason game, which is why New York has continued waiting on him.
That history is now colliding with the remaining contract, Stanton’s age and another lost season at the point when roster flexibility matters most.
Now the long-term cost is receiving fresh scrutiny. A Forbes report published Friday put former Yankees captain Derek Jeter at the center of the fallout from the 2017 blockbuster, framing the deal as a $265 million escape for Miami and a burden New York may finally be preparing to end.
The bill traces back to a 2017 blockbuster
Derek Jeter had just taken over Miami’s baseball operation when the Marlins traded Stanton to New York in December 2017. The Yankees sent Starlin Castro and prospects Jorge Guzman and Jose Devers to Miami.
MLB’s reporting showed Stanton was owed $295 million over the remaining 10 years if he did not exercise his 2020 opt-out. Miami agreed to cover $30 million, leaving the Yankees responsible for $265 million.
Stanton arrived as the reigning National League MVP after hitting 59 home runs with 132 RBIs. He then played 158 games in 2018, hitting 38 homers with 100 RBIs.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale recently summarized the trade’s long tail.
“The Marlins owe a debt of gratitude to Derek Jeter, who traded Giancarlo Stanton from the Marlins to the Yankees in December 2017, saving the franchise $265 million. Stanton played in 158 games his first year with the Yankees, hitting 38 homers with 100 RBI, but will have missed 588 games in the past eight seasons once this year ends.”
The missing-games math makes burden starker
That 588-game figure covers 2019 through 2026 if Stanton does not return. The Yankees were scheduled to play 1,194 regular-season games in that span. Stanton appeared in 606, meaning he would have missed 49.2%.
StatMuse lists Stanton with 189 home runs and 511 RBIs in 764 regular-season games for the Yankees. In 2026, he hit .256 with three homers, 14 RBIs and a .724 OPS in 96 plate appearances.
Baseball-Reference salary data lists Stanton at $25 million for 2027. Miami’s $10 million contribution lowers New York’s net burden to $15 million. The deal also includes a $25 million club option for 2028 with a $10 million buyout.
Stanton’s October value complicates albatross label
The contract has not been without major returns.
In the 2024 postseason, Stanton hit seven home runs with 16 RBIs in 14 games and won ALCS MVP as the Yankees reached the World Series. His seven homers were a franchise single-postseason record.
He also hit .273 with 24 home runs, 66 RBIs and a .944 OPS in 77 games in 2025. Those stretches explain why the Yankees kept betting on his bat.
Yankees face a 2027 decision that may close the Jeter trade
The Yankees have not announced a decision on Stanton’s future, but an offseason split is being discussed publicly.
NJ.com’s Randy Miller wrote that he expects New York to move on.
“I expect Stanton to be released after the season. I was hoping to see him hit his 500th career homer in a Yankees uniform, but I don’t know if he’ll get there with anyone now. He’ll be 37 in November and is still 44 away.”
Stanton has 456 career home runs. A release would leave the Yankees responsible for the guaranteed portion of his final contract year while opening the designated hitter spot and a 40-man roster place.
Nearly nine years after the trade, the Yankees have 189 regular-season homers from Stanton, an ALCS MVP run and a pennant. They also have hundreds of missed games and a final net $15 million obligation that could be paid without Stanton wearing pinstripes.
That is the pressure point behind the latest scrutiny of Jeter’s move. The Yankees got the star. Miami escaped most of the bill. New York now has to decide whether another season of uncertainty is worth the remaining cost.
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