Yankees season could be canceled, but free agency will still happen
By Evan Desai
Player Options
Giancarlo Stanton – designated hitter/left field
Giancarlo Stanton will be back in 2021. This decision is up to him, and he’ll be sure to want to stay with the Yankees. There’s no reason he wouldn’t want to be unless he finds earning his pinstripes to be too much pressure. Hopefully, Stanton will have earned them by this point, but regardless, he’ll probably still stay and collect his $29M from Hal Steinbrenner.
A-Rod didn’t please many New York Yankees fans until his postseason breakout in 2009, and he never showed any interest in leaving the Bombers. Randy Johnson hated playing here and left rather quickly. But there’s a huge personality difference between Johnson and Stanton. The 2017 National League MVP wants to be part of the Yankees, and he’ll be staying here as long as he wants.
Zack Britton – relief pitcher
If this were a team option, the New York Yankees very well might want to save the $13 million and have Zack Britton renegotiate or walk. Because this is a player option, it’s not difficult to see Britton sticking around the Bronx in 2021.
He’s going to have even more of a chance to shine this year due to the Dellin Betances departure. Britton knows how much the Yankees have routinely valued their bullpen guys these last several years so it makes it worth his while to pitch for the Bombers. Also, it’s worth remembering that the goal of all MLB players is to still be playing in October every year.
With the ridiculous amount of talent they have, the Yankees will most likely consistently be in the postseason for years to come. Pair that desire with tons of players wanting to have a career in a major media market such as New York, and I can’t see him wanting to leave unless he knows he can get more money elsewhere.