By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Perhaps Bryce Harper will not be the big-time acquisition for the Philadelphia Phillies this offseason, nor Manny Machado.
With "long-shot rumblings" that the New York Yankees are reportedly considering to move outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, the Phillies have been linked as a potential destination for the four-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger Award winner and 2017 National League Most Valuable Player, according to the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo.
Like Machado, the Phillies have had longtime interest in Stanton. They were reportedly among four teams to be involved in "preliminary communication" to sign him last offseason, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
As Cafardo notes, acquiring Stanton would be much cheaper than awarding Harper or Machado a record-breaking, 10-plus-year contract.
Obviously it’s a massive contract, but if the Dodgers ever felt they needed to do something splashy, Stanton isn’t that far-fetched, since that’s one team to which he would likely approve a trade. Nor would it be far-fetched if the Giants wanted a big hitter to give their staggering offense a jump start, or if the Phillies decided to include Stanton on their list of superstars to acquire. Stanton has about $260 million remaining on his contract over the next 10 years. That would be cheaper than acquiring Machado or Bryce Harper.
Stanton has approximately $260 million remaining on his contract over the next 10 seasons, including a $25 million team option or $10 million buyout for 2028. Stanton may opt out of his contract following the 2020 season.
| Year | Age | Team | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 29 | New York Yankees | $26,000,000 |
| 2020 | 30 | New York Yankees | $26,000,000 |
| 2021 | 31 | New York Yankees | $29,000,000 |
| 2022 | 32 | New York Yankees | $29,000,000 |
| 2023 | 33 | New York Yankees | $32,000,000 |
| 2024 | 34 | New York Yankees | $32,000,000 |
| 2025 | 35 | New York Yankees | $32,000,000 |
| 2026 | 36 | New York Yankees | $29,000,000 |
| 2027 | 37 | New York Yankees | $25,000,000 |
| 2028 | 38 | New York Yankees | *$25,000,000 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Stanton, 29, is tied with Nelson Cruz with the most home runs since 2010 (305). Over nine seasons, eight spent with the Florida and Miami Marlins, the California native has slashed .268/.358/.548 with 236 doubles, 305 home runs and 772 RBI spanning 1,144 games and 4,825 plate appearances. Stanton led all of baseball in home runs (59) and RBI (132) during his MVP season with the Marlins in 2017.
The Yankees are said to be "angered" over the Boston Red Sox winning another World Series championship, and are determined to improve their club for the 2019 season. By trading away Stanton, the Yankees could very well be in play, like the Phillies, for both Harper and Machado. Stanton collected just four singles and slashed .222/.222/.222 spanning 18 plate appearances against the Red Sox in this year's American League Division Series.
It would be more ideal for the Phillies to simply sign Harper and/or Machado, rather than trade away a slew of top prospects needed to acquire Stanton. Stanton's much cheaper average annual salary, however, may be enticing enough for the Phillies to do more than take a flier. It could help the club avoid the luxury tax threshold, while still re-signing current players and/or improving the club through free agency and trade.
