Trading for Stanton and Yelich Makes Too Much Sense

If you’re a Phillies fan and you don’t want to trade for Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich, I want what you’re smoking—especially if it’s an indica.

There is zero reason for the Phillies not to do this deal yesterday. Look how good these guys look in Phillies colors.

Yelich is a no-brainer. He’s young. He’s one of the better centerfielders in the game and he’s under contract through 2022, if you include the club option, at a reasonable number. Yelich’s average salary on his remaining contract is $10.7M. That’s a bargain in baseball.

For Yelich alone, the Phillies would have to pay a king’s ransom. If the Marlins throw Giancarlo Stanton into the deal, that ransom because far more sensible, according to MLB talking heads, because it’s basically a salary dump. The reality is that few teams can or want to take on the remainder of Stanton’s $325M contract.

Stanton currently has 30 HRs. He’s on pace for upwards of 50. Stanton would easily mash 50HRs playing his home games at Citizen Bank Park. And, Stanton is only 27. Let’s put that in perspective. Aaron Altherr is 26. Trout is 25.

He’s young. Yes, he spends time on the DL each year. Even in those years, he hasn’t hit less than 27 home runs. That would lead the Phillies last year and probably this year.

If you’re fearful of his contract, don’t be. You simply suffer from PTSD from the Ryan Howard contract. Stanton is more athletic and in better shape than Howard. Stanton can hit both left-handed and right-handed pitching.  He’s 27. He’ll be 37 at the end of his contract. That’s not terribly old.

More importantly, his contract isn’t that insane. In two years, the MLB free agent period is going to explode with Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and the greatest free agent class maybe ever. Trout is a free agent the year after. There is talk of Harper and Machado getting contracts of 10 years $450M.

Today, Jeff Passan at Yahoo Sports did an article about Trout’s impending free agency.

That’s another estimate at $40M/year for 15 years.

Stanton’s number now seems large at $25M and it increases to $29M and $32M towards the back end of his contract. However, in two or three years, players will be getting upwards of $40M/year. Those $25M, $29M, and $32M will seem ordinary in a few short years, ones that should be Stanton’s prime.

The Phillies have nothing committed on their payroll aside from Herrera and a handful of arbitration. They have money to spend and owner John Middleton says they’ll be spending money. Trade for Stanton and Yelich now.

Image an outfield of Stanton, Yelich, and either Altherr or Williams (one of those two will have to be included in the deal) and you may have one of the better outfields in the NL.

AND, it gives the fans a reason to pay attention and watch, which will also make Comcast happy since they paid a crazy amount for the rights to televise Phillies games. EVERYBODY WINS.