The Yankees’ note to Giancarlo Stanton on Sunday was simple enough: a birthday message for a player who turned 37 on Nov. 8.
But the bigger message was the one underneath it. New York is not ready to close the book on Stanton, even with an expensive decision hanging over the winter.
That doesn’t mean the Yankees are handing him the designated-hitter job, either. Far from it. The club is expected to bring Stanton to spring training and judge him the old-fashioned way - by his health, his movement and whether there’s still enough left in the tank to matter in a lineup that keeps changing around him.
Brian Cashman made that much clear when he discussed Stanton’s future. The Yankees’ top baseball executive said Stanton would have to compete for DH at-bats in 2027, leaving the door open for other hitters to use that spot.
“He finished the season healthy, so he enters the winter healthy,” Cashman told. “We know what he’s capable of when he is healthy.
We look forward to seeing if we can deploy a healthy version of him next year. But, obviously, that DH spot is up for grabs for other people that could benefit from it at the same time.
We’ll have those conversations.”
Cashman repeated that theme when asked directly about Stanton’s place in 2027, stressing the possibility of a healthy version of the veteran rather than promising a fixed role.
“We look forward to seeing if we can deploy a healthy version of him next year,” Cashman said.
That cautious optimism comes after a season that kept testing the Yankees’ patience. Stanton dealt with repeated calf strains while working through running progressions.
By September, he was back to taking swings against a high-velocity pitching machine and doing baserunning drills, signs that gave the club some hope. Aaron Boone had already praised Stanton’s persistence.
“And he’s never stopped,” Boone said after Stanton made the wild-card roster.
The Yankees did carry Stanton on their playoff rosters, but the payoff was minimal. He got two pinch-hit at-bats in the Division Series loss to Tampa Bay and struck out twice. New York’s late push to get him back on the field never turned into the kind of offensive boost the club was chasing.
That stands in sharp contrast to what Stanton can still look like when he’s right. In 2025, he hit 24 home runs in 77 games, batted .273 and posted a .944 OPS.
His 2024 American League Championship Series MVP performance is still part of the case for keeping him around. The Yankees know exactly how dangerous his bat can be.
They also know how hard it is to count on it. Stanton appeared in 764 of the Yankees’ 1,356 possible regular-season games from 2018 through 2026, a 56.3% participation rate. That’s the reality sitting at the center of this decision: enormous upside, constant uncertainty.
The money only complicates things further. Stanton is owed $25 million for 2027, with Miami covering $10 million.
New York would still be on the hook for $15 million whether it keeps him or releases him. Cutting him would open a roster spot, but it would not wipe away the cost.
That leaves the decision with Hal Steinbrenner, and there has been no sign the Yankees owner wants to pay Stanton $15 million just to move on. Keeping him through spring training gives the club a chance to see what it has before making a final call.
A trade doesn’t offer much relief, either. Stanton has full no-trade protection, has been limited to designated-hitter duty and played only 24 regular-season games in 2026.
Any team interested in him would need to take on the injury risk and the remaining financial commitment, and Stanton would have to approve it. That makes a deal highly unlikely.
Cashman has left the Yankees room to evaluate instead of rushing to a breakup. He also stopped short of promising Stanton anything permanent.
“I certainly hope he becomes a legitimate choice…on a consistent basis,” Cashman said.
There is also the 2028 layer to all of this. Stanton’s $25 million club option for that season carries a $10 million buyout, also offset through Miami’s trade payments. For now, the Yankees can keep him without locking the DH spot to him, which is why an audition in Tampa looks like the most realistic path.
The rest of the roster only adds to the uncertainty. Aaron Judge missed extensive time with injuries in 2026 and could benefit from occasional DH days. If Stanton is penciled in there too often, the Yankees lose flexibility to manage Judge’s workload or rotate other bats through the role.
Ben Rice is another name in the mix. He spent much of 2026 at DH after Luis García Jr. took over first base, and the Yankees could move Rice back to first while García shifts to second, creating DH at-bats for Stanton. That would be a balancing act between offense and defense, not a simple solution.
Cashman said Stanton still brings more than power to the table.
“His leadership and care factor are not a question,” Cashman said.
So the Yankees’ birthday message was more than a social media nod. It was a signal that Stanton still has a place in the conversation, even if that place is no longer guaranteed.
No release has been announced. No everyday DH job has been promised.
For now, spring training is the next real checkpoint, and the 37-year-old’s future in pinstripes will be decided from there.
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