Yankees’ Postseason Hero Named Among Worst Contracts in 2025

Despite having a bounce-back year and impressive October, this Yankees slugger's contract has been named one of the worst in baseball ahead of 2025.

Oct 30, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) reacts after hitting a home run against Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Ryan Brasier (57) during the third inning in game five of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

New York Yankees postseason hero Giancarlo Stanton is fresh off another clutch performance in the playoffs. But one website is saying that his contract isn’t worth the playoff production he provided.

Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter released an article on the 10 Worst MLB Contracts on the Books for the 2025 Season. Most of his choices are older players who are in the midst of a long-term contract that hasn’t matched their drops in production. Some examples include Javier Baez of the Detroit Tigers and Reuter’s top choice: Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels. Stanton, who was ranked seventh on the list, just helped lead the Yankees to the World Series with seven home runs, 16 RBI and a 1.048 OPS while taking home ALCS MVP honors. 

The Yankees’ slugger has three years left on his mammoth 13-year contract that was worth a total of $325 million. Stanton will earn $32 million in 2025, $29 million in 2026, and $25 million in the final year of the deal in 2027. Luckily for the Yankees, the Miami Marlins still cover $20 million of Stanton’s contract for the final two seasons. 

Reuter believes that Stanton’s recent playoff success has overshadowed his lack of production in the regular season. His power profile has yielded just a 0.6 WAR over the past three seasons. Stanton has also failed to play in more than 114 games in a season since 2021. 

With the Yankees looking to shell out a historic deal to free agent Juan Soto this offseason, contracts like Stanton’s and DJ LeMahieu’s, who was an honorable mention by Reuter, stick out like sore thumbs on the team’s payroll. Stanton, 35, will be 38 by the time his contract is over and while his power remains, his offensive production continues to decline. 

Stanton’s playoff production and the Marlin’s covering some of the money make it easier to digest compared to other players on Reuter’s list. But with the Yankees in win-now mode and looking to add significantly to its payroll in 2025, one has to wonder how well Stanton’s contract will age over the next few years.