Giancarlo Stanton’s bat, legs make the difference in frustrating Marlins loss

[Ely Sussman]

NEW YORK — It has been more than 8.5 years since Giancarlo Stanton last competed in a Miami Marlins uniform. That is an eternity in the baseball world. So when approximately 20% of "Yankees Trivia" participants selected anybody other than Stanton as the Marlins' all-time home run leader, I gave them a pass. It's understandably difficult to process that a player who was traded away shortly after his 28th birthday had enough time to set that record (among numerous others for offensive excellence).

Stanton didn't homer against his former club on Saturday night, but he is well-positioned to earn Series MVP honors after stealing a base to help manufacture a run in the seventh inning and putting the Yanks ahead for good with a two-out, two-run single in the eighth.

Although the latter moment proved more consequential, Stanton's success on the bases was particularly noteworthy considering that a series of injuries have sapped his agility. Since 2024, he ranks dead last among MLB players with a 24.3 ft/sec Sprint Speed (min. 100 "competitive runs" tracked by Statcast). He had not even attempted to steal in a regular season game since 2020.

With Stanton on first base and the Yankees leading 5-4, he noticed inexperienced first baseman Connor Norby playing far behind him and extended his lead accordingly. He was more than 30 feet off the bag by the time that right-hander Calvin Faucher released the ball. Catcher Agustín Ramírez was slow to notice Stanton in motion, delaying his transition from receiving to throwing and resulting in a glacial 2.44-second pop time.

"If they're gonna give it to me, I gotta go get it," Stanton told reporters postgame.

"I put that one on me," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "Just felt like there was less likelihood that he would go," so Norby was directed to back up, maximizing his range to cover a potential ground ball to the right side of the infield.

Embarrassing moment for the Marlins, who allow the slow-footed Giancarlo Stanton to steal a base for the first time since 2020.

Set up the Yankees to score a huge insurance run. pic.twitter.com/991EDusb9X

— Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) April 5, 2026

On the next pitch, J.C. Escarra fittingly grounded out to the right side, advancing Stanton to third. Then, a passed ball by Ramírez allowed Stanton to score a crucial insurance run.

As for the go-ahead single, it was an unremarkable batted ball by Stanton's extraordinary standards. On the seventh pitch of his bases-loaded battle against right-hander Michael Petersen, he hit a grounder to the left of second base at 92.9 mph. Once again, the Marlins' defensive alignment proved problematic. Playing Stanton to pull, shortstop Otto Lopez couldn't range quite far enough to his glove side to make that play. The Yankees went ahead 8-6 and ultimately won by a 9-7 final score.

The three players traded to Miami in exchange for Stanton—Starlin Castro, José Devers and Jorge Guzman—are long gone from the Marlins organization. None of them even work in affiliated baseball anymore. Meanwhile, the Yankees continue to receive good, albeit part-time production from the 36-year-old designated hitter. He has a 125 wRC+ since the trade, not to mention a 147 wRC+ in the MLB postseason, which his new club qualifies for on a near-annual basis.

There was a cash component of the deal as well. The Yankees took responsibility for 90% of the $300 million that Stanton was still owed at the time, with the Marlins agreeing to assist with the back end of his contract. Those payments began this year—$10M in 2026, $10 in 2027 and $10M in 2028. In stark contrast, no current Marlins position player makes a salary above $2M (Christopher Morel).

In 20 career games against his original employer, Stanton has generally been held in check with a .222/.333/.389 slash line and two long balls. The Yankees narrowly hold the edge in those head-to-head matchups with an 11-9 record.

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[Shawn]

Should have won this game. Again don’t understand the bullpen usage. Peterson shouldn’t have been the setup man, and once he walked the loaded Fairbanks should have came in for a 4 out save. Just my opinion and I’m sure like last year I’ll continue to disagree with how the bullpen used. 

[THOMAS JOSEPH]

Let's get into our rant!

Stanton is off to a great start! 

Isn't Stanton one of the premier examples of horrendous long-term mega deals? Two hundred million dollars over the last seven years, with three more to go, and a hunk of the final years will be paid by the Marlins. 

Even the much-ballyhooed pairing with Judge, which, if successful, arguably could have mitigated the huge sunk costs, has failed (so far) to pan out. If the Yankees don't win a title with these two, isn't New York the true measure of top-heavy payroll failure, replacing the much-disparaged Angels? Perhaps the postseason appearances and lots of regular-season wins are salve on the wound for fans and ownership in Yankee Nation? No, of course not. 

What I continue to find fascinating is the idea that, somehow, past production has "earned" the horrendous failed contracts. I harken back to someone like Johnny Bench. His final $1 million contract was most certainly a reward and not a production bounty.  Of course, Bench did actually win titles during his tenure and was never a roster millstone. I am interested in how someone with hundreds of millions in payments, with seven, and soon to be, eight or nine years (!) of middling production, has redeeming value. Perhaps misplaced nostalgia is worth $200 million. No, of course not. 

The same mindset applies to another ex-Marlin hero, Miguel Cabrera. Despite the smiles and nice gifts at his return, his atrocious extension handicapped the Tigers for the better part of a decade. The Tigers rue that decision, and you can forget that the Tiger cap in the HOF makes everything ok. They'd trade it for the $200 million in a freaking heartbeat if such a thing were possible. Of course, his retirement "tour" was a nice feel-good event. Even more so for the Tigers organization, which breathed a sigh of relief that the furious cash-flushing was finally, finally over, the roster spot was free, and the team could move on. See how it has recovered as the millstone is removed. 

As the same relief will be felt in New York after Stanton is gone, along with the many other incredibly foolish deals festering or looming right now. Yes, Rendon and Strasburg are gone.  But does anyone want to make a list without even thinking hard? Trout, Bogaerts, Bryant, Baez. How long before the Devers contract in San Francisco implodes? Don't worry that owners will suddenly gain insight. There will be plenty of other disasters unless the CBA is truly transformational and rational. Of course, it will be neither.