Giancarlo Stanton lost weight to ease stress on his lower half and gained a larger chip on his shoulder as motivation. He swatted three homers in a spring game, which he has never done, while compiling 400-plus in regular-season contests. The ball — despite the loss of heft — still comes off the slugger’s bat with a ferocity pretty much unmatched in the game.
There is the clean slate. The dream of renewal. The possibility of 162 games.
Then the season began.
Stanton struck out in 13 of his first 25 plate appearances. He waved futilely at righty sliders breaking far away from his swing.
It is early in the season. There is still time — lots of time — to compile meaningful results or better. But the only reason these previous sentences were written is because Stanton has trended the wrong way in recent seasons. This isn’t, say, Francisco Lindor’s slow start or that of Alex Bregman. This isn’t a prime-aged player who has excelled recently.
Stanton is in a specific class of players pushing deeper into their 30s who are beginning to stack worrisome years upon each other while having plenty of seasons left on hefty contracts. Without those contracts, does Stanton make the Yankees’ roster? Does Anthony Rendon make the Angels’? Javier Baez the Tigers’?
These teams are going to have to ask how much longer to give playing times because of reputation and dollars. And then — if it gets extreme — how much are they willing to eat to free the roster spot. It is not a conversation any organization wants to have. No baseball operations department wants to admit failure, and no owner wants to pay money for literally nothing. But the roster spot has value.
Teams will deny their intentions because every organization wants to hope for a U-turn in performance or to try to find a trade in which it can save some dollars and face. But the Yankees said they weren’t releasing Alex Rodriguez until they were — with a year-plus and $27 million still owed him. The same was true about Aaron Hicks, until he was jettisoned with two-plus years at $27.6 million due.
There have been teams that have eaten a lot of money to make a trade happen. But there is a difference between what the Steve Cohen Mets did to deal still desirable pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander for legit prospects and what the Angels did to eat nearly $70 million to just make Josh Hamilton go away in a trade to the Rangers.
Prince Fielder had $72 million remaining when he was released by the Rangers in 2017, but the Tigers were paying a portion of that and there was insurance money to cover a devastating neck issue. The Red Sox released Pablo Sandoval in 2017 with 2 ¹/₂ years and $49.5 million left on his contract.
I don’t think we are close to seeing any of the below released. But a few players are making this situation more uncomfortable with problematic starts (contract left to begin this season in parentheses):
1. Giancarlo Stanton (four years, $128 million, $30 million of which is owed by the Marlins): He has a full no-trade and is unlikely to accept going anywhere. Aaron Boone had talked about Stanton playing the outfield some, but if Juan Soto is going to continue to be a quality right fielder, then it is going to be difficult to even get Trent Grisham’s glove onto the field … unless … Stanton sits regularly and the DH spot gets moved around. Stanton’s entire value is in the batter’s box. If he doesn’t hit, what does he offer sitting on a bench?
2. Anthony Rendon (three years, $114 million): He hardly endeared himself in spring training when he said baseball has “never been a top priority.” Rendon, who turns 34 in June, then began the season 1-for-23. He has had difficulty staying healthy and over the past three years had a 94 OPS-plus with 13 homers in 148 games.
3. Javier Baez (four years, $98 million): He has been among the worst regularly used players in the majors since signing with the Tigers, with a .273 OPS the past two years before beginning this season hitting .174 with a .167 on-base percentage. The Tigers have designs on contending this year. Will they just keep playing Baez regularly?
4. Kris Bryant (five years, $131 million): When Scott Boras retires, I hope he tells the world what exactly the second-best offer was when he somehow got seven years at $182 million for Bryant from Colorado. Like Baez, he is a 2016 champion Cub who has fallen and not gotten up. He played just 122 games the first two years of the contract and dropped to .233 with a 76 OPS-plus last season. At 32, he began this year 3-for-25 as now a regular first baseman. The Rockies are so far from contention that they can just keep running him out there — for five more years.
5. Andrew Benintendi (four years, $64 million): There were other players to consider. After winning the World Series together for the 2019 Nationals, Stephen Strasburg signed the same seven-year, $245 million contract as Rendon — just to stay with Washington. He has made eight starts since with a 6.49 ERA. But it is understood his career is over because of neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome, and all that is left is his fight with the Nationals over how to pay the rest of his contract.
Jose Abreu had a poor first season with the Astros but a strong playoffs, yet with two years at $39 million left, the 37-year-old first baseman is off poorly again. The health is always concerning for the Minnesota duo of Byron Buxton (five years, $75 million) and Carlos Correa (five years, $110 million) — though Correa was off to a blistering start. Boston’s Trevor Story has the same six-year, $140 million pact as Baez and has an 86 OPS-plus as a Red Sox (82 so far this year).
Benintendi is not. After a lifeless 87 OPS-plus last season, Benintendi began this year 3-for-24 without an extra-base hit. The White Sox are in a full rebuild. Can Benintendi, 30 in July, ever hit enough to again become a trade candidate?