Stanton, Martinez won’t opt out, per reports

New York Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton will not be exercising his right to opt out of his contact at the end of the season, per Jon Heyman on Twitter. In addition, Boston Red Sox outfielder J.D. Martinez indicated today that he is not likely to opt out of his deal, which he has the right to do at season’s end.

Neither player was expected to opt out, both because of the uncertainties of the coming offseason market due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and general performance-related reasons.

Stanton, who turns 31 in November, is owed $29 million in 2021 and 2022, $32 million from 2023-25, $29 million in 2026, $25 million in 2027, and has a $25 million club option for 2028 with a $10 million buyout. Because he didn’t opt out, the Miami Marlins will pay the Yankees two payments of $5M apiece in 2026, 2027 and 2028, for a total of $30 million.

Stanton had a solid 2018 season, but played only 18 games in 2019, and has played only 21 games in 2020. Stanton has a history of stints on the injured list, and one has to have concerns about how much he will be able to stay on the field going forward.

While Stanton always seemed very unlikely to opt out, Martinez was seen, prior to the season, as being someone who had a decent chance of exercising that clause, being owed just $19.375M per year the next two years. Martinez, however, has put up just a 682 OPS this year, making it unlikely he would get a better deal this offseason.