Yankees insiders linking Dodgers to possible Giancarlo Stanton trade is hilarious

The desperation in New York has reached peak levels. The Yankees are likely going to miss the playoffs and have been forced to make very uncharacterisitic decisions in order to turn the ship around. They placed Harrison Bader on waivers and he went to the Reds. They called up four top prospects in hopes of expediting the 2024 picture.

There will be more roster changes for the Bombers when the offseason arrives, and many continue to speculate about Giancarlo Stanton's future in the Bronx. He's continuously been linked to the West Coast because he was born and raised in California.

So, naturally, the Los Angeles Dodgers have come up in conversation. They're from California. They house a ton of big names. They have no problem spending money or taking on what might be onerous contracts for other teams.

But they're also not stupid. If the Dodgers are going to lock somebody into the DH spot, they'd much rather do it with a cost-effective option like JD Martinez, who has been far better than Stanton this year, or Max Muncy, who is one of the most consistent power hitters in the league.

That seems to be the way the DH spot is heading for the Dodgers come 2024 (Shohei Ohtani is another option, but that might not be until 2025). Any of those three would beat working out a deal for the Yankees to eat some of Stanton's money and bring him to California. This is a trade the Padres make, not the Dodgers.

Yankees insiders linking Dodgers to possible Giancarlo Stanton trade is hilarious

Here's what Yankees insiders Chris Kirschner and Brendan Kuty (subscription required) wrote about the offseason possibilities with Stanton as they pertain to the Dodgers:

"Depending on if the Dodgers lose out in the Ohtani bidding this offseason, perhaps they convince themselves that Stanton would be a consolation prize worth exploring, especially if the Yankees are eating a large portion of his contract. J.D. Martinez is a free agent this offseason, and the Dodgers would have a hole at their designated hitter spot if they don’t retain him and miss out on Ohtani. The Dodgers are normally risk-averse in their long-term decisions, and taking on Stanton, even at a fraction of the cost, is something they may choose not to pursue. "

The Athletic

OK ... they also noted how this type of trade isn't exactly up the Dodgers' alley, especially under Andrew Friedman, who has prioritized short-term deals or low-risk, high-reward ones throughout his tenure, with only Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman representing the examples of big long-term contracts.

The Dodgers are especially careful when building their lineups. They very rarely hamstring themselves with one-dimensional players -- and Stanton is as one-dimensonal as they come. Not only does he barely play defense, but his hitting style is either hard-hit ball or embarrassing strikeout. LA won't be clogging its lineup with him for the next four seasons (he's signed through 2027), even if they're given a discount.

Leave this one to the Padres or Giants, both of whom have either completely whiffed on the free agent/trade markets or watched their free agency/trade assets wither away. The Dodgers will know to repeatedly throw him sliders into the lefty batter's box.