A CRAZY STANTON TRADE SCENARIO THAT I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING ABOUT!

Here's a Thursday funny to give you a little pep in your step, I promise it is a good one! As the 2023 regular season winds down I have been reading through a lot of opinion articles from beat writers all focused on next season. We all know the Yankees have a lot of work to do to fix this team, and I keep seeing Giancarlo Stanton's name mentioned.

It's no secret, the Yankees have a history of giving some bad contracts, and Stanton's is no exception. His contract is crazy. He's still owed $128 million over the next four seasons which is hard to swallow for a soon to be 34 year old injury prone player with a full no trade clause. That just isn't an easy contract to trade, but NJ.com has an idea HERE that made me chuckle. 

I'm going to cut the story down a bit. First, NJ.com says Brian Cashman will need to approach Stanton and let him know that he would be a part time player if he's still on the team. That might encourage him to embrace a trade especially if it brings him home to Southern California where the Los Angeles Angels would be the perfect fit.

Yes, I said the Angels (which is why I start laughing). Since Shohei Ohtani will leave the Angels due to free agency, the Angels it will allow them to spend money on other players. So NJ.com suggests that the Angels will move on from their star pitcher and DH, so instead they would pivot to Stanton instead. Did they miss looking at the stats that show Stanton has a .190 BA and Ohtani has .304 BA? That's why I am laughing.

But there is more:

"The Yankees need to make it worth the Angels while to take Stanton at around 25 cents on the dollar. That would require eating $73.5 million, which is a big ask, but Steinbrenner can look at it as saving $24.5 million. What Cashman has to do is make it impossible for the Angels to say no. You do that by throwing in a good pitching prospect."

Sure, Cashman can look at that as saving $24.5 million but the Angels are sitting at an estimated $215 million in payroll now which is higher than they historically like to sit. There is nothing to suggest that the Angels would want to add that kind of payroll commitment, and if they would.... why would they do it for Stanton? It doesn't make sense.

The Angels have their own bad contracts, like Anthony Rendon, so I don't see them looking to add more on a player like Stanton. The Angels pay an average annual salary of $35 million through 2026 so this idea is a little bananas. Oh and....what good pitching prospect are we going to offer the Angels to "make it impossible for the Angels to say no"? The article didn't name one, and there isn't an obvious fit for a trade. It also doesn't help the payroll or help the Angels with their pitching situation right now.

I like thinking outside of the box, but this is a wild stretch. The Yankees have some bad contracts on the books, and the Angels aren't going to save the Yankees here. I'd bet money on that. 

So, there is your laugh.... carry on!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj