Giancarlo Stanton's Agent Warns Free Agents Against Signing With The Yankees
New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman may have put his team in a bit of a hole for the 2023-2024 MLB offseason.
Earlier this week, Cashman was quoted discussing Giancarlo Stanton and his health prognosis for the 2024 season. And he was not optimistic.
READ: YANKEES GM BRIAN CASHMAN DOUBTS GIANCARLO STANTON CAN STAY HEALTHY FOR A FULL YEAR
He discussed how the Yankees try to manage Stanton's injuries, but believed that missed time was essentially an inevitability.
“We try to limit the time he’s down,” Cashman said. “But I’m not gonna tell you he’s gonna play every game next year because he’s not. He’s going to wind up getting hurt again more likely than not because it seems to be part of his game. But I know that when he’s right and healthy — other than this past year — the guy’s a great hitter and has been for a long time.”
Unsurprisingly, the assertion that Stanton is injury prone and that it's "part of his game" did not go over well with his representatives. And sure enough, Stanton's agent, Joel Wolfe, fired back on Wednesday by warning potential free agents against signing with the Yankees.
"I read the context of the entire interview," Wolfe said. "I think it's a good reminder for all free agents considering signing in New York both foreign and domestic that to play for that team you've got to be made of Teflon, both mentally and physically because you can never let your guard down even in the offseason."
NEW YORK - Giancarlo Stanton of the New York Yankees at bat during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on September 22 in the Bronx. The Yankees won 7-1. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Stanton's Agent Could Have A Lot Of Influence Over Yankees' Moves This Offseason
While Stanton doesn't have a lot of say over whether or not he stays in the Bronx, his agent is one of the most powerful and influential in the sport. And one of the word choices in his response was clearly carefully, and purposefully, chosen.
When Wolfe warned "foreign and domestic" free agents against signing with the Yankees, he was almost certainly referring to Yoshinobu Yamamato. Yamamato is one of the most desirable free agent starting pitchers on the market, after a dominant run in the Japanese professional baseball league.
And the Yankees have been rumored and expected to be in the market for Yamamato, along with their cross town rivals. And they just made his agent angry by criticizing another one of his clients. Not what you want to be doing.
Cashman's critiques of Stanton are fair and deserved; the last time he played a full season was 2018. And at 34-years-old, he's likely not going to get any healthier. But those concerns about player health are best left for internal planning discussions, not a public forum.
Stanton assuredly doesn't want to get hurt, and calling him out for it in the press isn't going to make him happier or healthier heading into 2024. Frankly, what might be more concerning is his rapidly declining offensive production.
In 2023, Stanton had just an 89 wRC+, an offensive statistic where 100 is league average. In 2021, he was 38% better than league average, but in 2023 was 11% worse. With Stanton under contract for four more seasons, the Yankees and Cashman need him as motivated and positive as possible to recover some of that lost value.
A war of words in the media isn't exactly the best way to start.